BRIDGWATER Town player-manager Dave Pearse hailed the returning Mike Duffy as "like a new signing" after the midfielder made a successful return to action in the win over Shortwood United on Saturday.

Duffy had been out for several months with a knee injury but has featured for the reserves in recent weeks and scored Town's equaliser at the weekend.

Pearse said: "It was great to have Mike back.

“He has been unbelievable in training and has worked very hard through his rehab to come back fitter and stronger - everyone has picked up on it.

“It is like having a new signing.”

Pearse also had kind words for fellow new boy Carl Jones, who returned to the club a fortnight ago and started in attack on Saturday.

“Carl came back primarily to play for the reserves but Karl [Baggaley] and I watched him play for them last week and thought he would offer something different up front, which he did.”

Town were slow to get going against the league's bottom side and needed a late winner from Jack Taylor to secure the points.

“It was a weird, flat atmosphere in the warm-up and that carried into how we started," Pearse said.

“We didn’t really get out of second gear at all, the game was very stop-start and we had no rhythm - but I’ll put that partly down to the fact we hadn’t played for 21 days.

“The three points are the most important thing and it was worth getting the game on, which was a great effort by everyone in itself.

"We are unbeaten in six having played some good sides in that run."

Town play another good side on Saturday as they travel to league leaders Willand Rovers, who are fresh from making it through to the quarter-finals of the FA Vase and won 4-1 at Fairfax Park in the reverse fixture.

See bridgwatermercury.co.uk on Friday for a full match preview.