Parkinson moves quickly to replace huge goal gap at Alty.
Phil Parkinson has moved to reinforce a depleted Altrincham strike force after Alex Newby followed Regan Linney out of the door at The J.Davidson Stadium to leave a gaping 38-goal hole in the Robins’ attacking resources.
That’s how many goals the pair shared last season, but both will be plying their trade at rival National League clubs in 2025/26 after Newby rebuffed Alty’s best efforts to secure his signature on a new contract and joined York City in the wake of Linney’s recent move to Carlisle United.
A statement was released, saying: “The club, through manager Phil Parkinson, made an offer to retain Alex for the upcoming season on substantially improved terms, reflecting both his contribution and his importance to the squad. However, Alex has chosen to pursue an opportunity elsewhere.”
While there was clearly a sense of frustration at the loss of Newby, Alty boss Parkinson wasted no time plugging the gaps, as he snapped up in-demand striker James Gale, from Mansfield Town, and highly-rated frontrunner Jimmy Knowles, from Accrington Stanley, for an undisclosed fee.
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Remarkably, Gale, Knowles and another recent signing Keaton Ward have all played together at Mansfield and Boston United prior to joining Alty, and Parkinson explained why that’s no coincidence.
“It’s a real positive that they have played together before and know each other, as it gives us an element of continuity while we rebuild the frontline,” he said. “It shouldn’t take as long as it might normally do so, hopefully, that will give us a headstart.
“That was part of the mindset in signing these three, but the biggest thing is they are all quality players in their own right.
“I’ve already spoken about Keaton, but Jimmy is one of the best finishers I’ve seen in a long, long time and I truly believe we have unearthed another gem in James. I can see him becoming a fans’ favourite very quickly and a very sought-after commodity once we give him a platform to showcase what he is capable of.”
Alty have also signed left-back Sam Reed from Sheffield Wednesday.
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