Braintree Town manager Danny Cowley has unveiled the first new signing of his time in charge of the Iron - Chelmsford City striker Michael Cheek.

The 23-year-old former Stanway Rovers and Heybridge Swifts forward has made the step up to Conference Premier side Braintree after leaving the Clarets, for whom he made 66 appearances and scored 32 goals in the Conference South.

And Cowley feels he is exactly the type of player who will fit into the team that he wants to create at the Miles Smith Stadium.

Cowley said: "Michael Cheek was, in my opinion, the best all round forward in the Conference South last year.

"Chelmsford were one of the top scorers in the division and Michael along with Joe Ward played a big part in that.

"Michael is a really good fit for the club.

"He is a local lad, who has progressed from the lower levels of non league football.

"He has declined bigger financial offers at the level below to challenge himself in the Conference National.

"He is someone that has an infectious work ethic and has massive potential to improve.

"I believe he will thrive at this level and really enjoy the challenges that this league will bring."

Cowley also announced that three members of last year's squad - skipper Kenny Davis and strikers Sean Marks and Jordan Cox - have put pen to paper on new contracts with the Iron.

But the new Braintree boss and his brother and assistant manager Nicky aren't finished with their pre-season squad-building.

Danny added: "Generally, the squad is now really taking shape and Nicky and I are pleased to be able to add these four players to the squad.

"We are hoping to announce the signings of a couple of more players in the next few days.

"This will give us really solid foundations from which to build on.

"We are in the process of speaking to potential targets and have a clear idea of the players that will compliment and hopefully add to the group.

"We will need to be patient and continue to do lots of work behind the scenes to ensure that we can attract the very best players and people to Braintree Town Football Club."