Rhyl rebuild begins as Maurice-Jones snaps up five

Rhyl director of football Eddie-Maurice-Jones has begun his
transfer recruitment early with the signings of five new players to bolster his Rhyl side.

Maurice-Jones has raided his former club Denbigh to bring in Kristian Pearce, Gareth Partridge, Matthew Cook, and Danny Sullivan, as well as reuiniting with former Leicester City youth player Aaron Hassall.

Danny Sullivan has got a wealth of experience playing in the second tier, having turned out for Holywell Town, Buckley Town, Flint Town United, Caernarfon Town and Denbigh before joining up with Maurice-Jones again at Rhyl.

Eddie told the Rhyl website he was delighted to bring Danny experiences to the squad for the upcoming season.

“Danny has been a standout performer for me at Denbigh Town last season so it’s great to see
him committed so early. Danny brings experience, leadership and quality to the
squad. His natural ability to read the game and see a define pass is exceptional.”

Sullivan told Rhyl website about their working relationship and admits Maurice-Jones knows how to get the best out of the defender.

“Once Eddie gave me the opportunity to join Rhyl and work with him again I couldn’t turn it down. He knows how to get the best out of me and I’m hoping to be successful at Rhyl and help get them back up to the top.”

Maurice-Jones unveiled Aaron Hassall as their second signing. Hassall has played for Leicester U23s, after making the breakthrough at Airbus UK Broughton. Hassall had loan spells at Conference North side Corby Town and Evo Stick league side Stamford.

Hassall returned to North Wales where he joined Huws Gray Alliance outfit Denbigh Town. The player made a great start to life in Denbigh which led to a move to Nantwich Town, before he returned to the Welsh system with Llandudno FC.

Eddie-Maurice-Jones was happy to be reunited with Hassall.

“I’m delighted to have secured Aaron’s signature. Having previously worked with Aaron for a short period of time I know he has the potential to be a great success. Aaron’s attributes are fitted to what we are looking to achieve at Rhyl. I’m sure his ability and style of play will
have all the fans on the edge of their seats.”

Hassall was equally as happy to have been linked up with Eddie and to join a club as reputable as Rhyl.

“I am really pleased to have signed for Rhyl, they are a massive club with a great following. I want to help them get back to the Welsh Premier League where they belong. It was an easy decision to make after hearing Eddie was joining the management team. I am really looking forward to working with Eddie, Rich and Danny.”

Joining the duo are his former Denbigh players Pearce, Partride and Cook.

The Belle Vue faithful will be no strangers to Pearce, as the midfielder has previous experience with Rhyl. The player turned out for the Lilywhites during their time in the JD Welsh Premier League, but was hampered by injuries that left him on the sidelines.

However, under Maurice-Jones’ tutelage last year, he bagged an impressive 8 goals from 17 games for Denbigh and is excited about his return to Rhyl.

“Rhyl is a massive club and it’s a great opportunity for me to play for them again. Last time around I was hit with injuries and played out of position when I was fit. So this time I intend to have a good pre-season so I can hit the ground running once we start. I feel I have a point to prove at Rhyl. I want to play a key role in taking this massive club back to where it belongs which is the Welsh Premier League.”

Partridge offers invaluable experience to the club next season, having already played for a host of clubs including Cefn Druids, Newtown and Denbigh Town. With the experiene he’s garnered in the top flight, the midfielder will be hoping he can add some resilience to the Rhyl midfield for the coming season.

Partridge won’t be alone though, as he will be partnered in midfield by his former Denbigh teammate Matthew Cook. The former Newtown captain has made over 225 appearances in the Welsh Premier League, and Maurice-Jones will most certainly be looking to utilise his experience in the coming season to help guide the club through what is set to be an arduous task of challenging at the top of the competitive Huws Gray Alliance.

It seems the Maurice-Jones rebuilding job has begun.