BRIDGWATER Town Football Club now has its very own ‘French Connection’, after securing international clearance to sign two new players.

French duo Medhi Bakoura and Paul Jehanno - both 19 years of age - join the Robins from Football Class Academy, which is based at Cardiff.

Bakoura is described as an aggressive, attack-minded full-back, who is quick and has an eye for goal.

Jehanno, meanwhile, is a tenacious, tough-tackling midfielder, who will aim to bring energy and robustness to the spine of the team.

They are the latest additions to the Bridgwater squad, which has also seen midfielders Tom Fry and Jamie Wilson, plus forward Sam Crumb, come in over the last few weeks.

Co-manager Dave Pearse told the club website: “We’re excited to welcome Paul and Medhi to the club.

“They are hugely talented footballers with great technical ability, and we believe they have big futures ahead of them.

“They have impressed during training prior to the second lockdown, and we wanted to get them on board as soon as international clearance was granted.

“They are hungry to make an immediate impact for us once football returns.

“They join a determined, motivated squad who are training hard during this period of no football.”

The arrival of former AFC Bournemouth owner Adam Murry this month has not only brought new signings - with Murry saying the club would “do whatever it takes” to get the 1st XI in a position to compete - but also changes behind the scenes.

The club’s football performance programme has shifted its emphasis towards increasing the players’ physical capabilities, alongside improving their wellbeing and health.

During the lockdown period, the squad have been put through rigorous programmes increasing their volume and intensity of training, ready for an assault on the Western League once grassroots football is given the green light to resume.

Performance coach Ewan Greenhill, who came in alongside Murry, said: “After working with part-time semi-professional football clubs for numerous seasons in Scotland, one of the main differentiators in performance and results was the physical fitness, freshness, and health of the squad.

“Keeping the squad fit and healthy allows us to keep the best squad on the park for Dave [Pearse] and Karl [Baggaley, co-managers].

“The programme itself is not just long slogging runs, but instead the programme includes individualised running speeds and distances.

“This is accompanied by conditioning exercises that will aim to reduce injury and a nutrition plan.”

Pearse added: “The new training programme is something we have not had at this level before.

“It is specifically devised for them and with the demands of football and how we want to play at the forefront.

“We plan to come back fitter, faster, and stronger than ever before, so we can hit the ground running when games do return.”