Cornes has had two spells with Worcester City

Redditch United manager Matt Gardiner has confirmed the signing of four players as he rebuilds his squad.

Goalkeeper Jake Meredith, midfielders Chris Cornes and Marlon Walters and centre-back Andy Jones have all agreed terms with the Valley Stadium club.

"All four players have an excellent pedigree having previously played for professional clubs," said Gardiner.

"All had offers to join other teams and it shows a real commitment that they have decided to join Redditch United."

Meredith and Cornes have had spells with Worcester City and Gardiner feels they will have benefited from the experience.

"We started the goalkeepers back this week and having seen Jake I think he will do well for us and the fans will be happy with him," he said.

"He played for Worcester last season although he came out [of the side] towards the end but he is really determined that he wants to play at this level.

"As for Chris Cornes he is some player as I know as I have played against him and played with him and have watched him several times and he has got all the talent," he added.

He is a good organiser and is exactly the type of player I am looking for to play for Redditch Matt Gardiner on Andy Jones

Gardiner is well aware of the perennial questions that are asked about Cornes' fitness levels but insists he has already discussed this with the player.

"What really impressed me was his attitude and application as he knows what he has got to do this time," he told BBC Hereford and Worcester.

"He is still only 23 and I have already had several conversations with him about training and coming back pre-season as fit as he possibly can be."

Centre-back Jones will be stepping up after spells with Bromsgrove Rovers and Stourport Swifts but Gardiner feels his football has been on the backburner for the past few years while he was studying at the University of Worcester.

"He can obviously play higher than the level he was at with his studies but as a defender he has got all the attributes," he said.

"Again, he is only 24 and I think he will do well at this level.

"He is a good organiser and is exactly the type of player I am looking for to play for Redditch," he added.

Walters is a 26-year-old combative midfielder who began his career at Wolverhampton Wanderers where he captained the reserves.

He has since had two spells with Hednesford Town as well as a period with Bromsgrove Rovers.

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