BRAINTREE Town hope to have a late new signing in time for their opening Blue Square South match away to Eastleigh on Saturday.

Yesterday (Wednesday), manager Robbie Garvey was talking to right-back Phil Starkey who spent last season at Tonbridge Angels and was previously at Ebbsfleet United. Versatile Starkey can also play in midfield.

Garvey has also taken on striker Tommy Tejan-Sie on a month's loan from his former club, Dagenham & Redbridge, with a view to extending the deal to a season long loan.

Tejan-Sie, 21, scored on his debut for the Iron in their impressive 2-1 win over a full strength Blue Square Premier Crawley Town side on Friday evening.

"I've had Tommy with me at Dagenham for the past two years so I know what he's capable of and also his potential," said Garvey. "He has the ability to play at a higher level and I'm sure his stay will us will help him and also provide another different option in attack with Sean Marks and George Purcell.

"He's quick, keen and has two good feet and is hungry to do well and can score goals too.

"Hopefully if he does well for us initially we can then extend his stay for the season."

Marks, who has just returned form a week's holiday and played in a reserve game at Halstead on Tuesday to give him some match practice, as did defender Lynvall Duncan who is recovering from swine flu.

"Sean will be in the squad for Eastleigh but we'll have to see how Lynvall goes because that flu takes some getting over and there's no good rushing him back for Saturday when he's not fully up to it," explained Garvey.

Also missing from Saturday's opener, plus the Iron's first home game of the season against Lewes on Tuesday will be defender Mark Jones who is serving a two match ban held over from last season.

Looking ahead to the Eastleigh game Garvey said: "I can't wait for us to get started and I'm pleased with the way pre-season has gone.

"Eastleigh are obviously a good side having missed out in the play-offs last season when really they should have won through," he continued. "But you never know how such sides react next time round, they might be still suffering from that defeat but there again they made come out much stronger and more determined this time around to make up for that disappointment."

The Hampshire side have made a coup signing in taking the versatile Shaun McAuley from another unsuccessful play-off side, Hampton & Richmond Borough.

"They are a decent side and it should be a good game and naturally a hard one, but it will be like every game I played in – I will want to win," Garvey added.

The Iron manager isn't going to say how the Iron will do this season adding: "I never make any predictions for obvious reason but I'm confident we can do well and it would be nice to win all our home games and draw all our away games, but of course things never work out that way."

Nine new players have been brought in over the summer but Garvey continued: "I'm not setting any targets, it would be foolish to do that with the amount of new players I've bought in."

Clearly a top half finish would to a degree satisfy Garvey in his first full season as a non-league manager.