Ben Mills looks to fill captain's boots

Returning Stafford Rangers striker Ben Mills has vowed to give it his best shot to fill the boots of departed captain Nick Wellecomme up front next season.

Mills signed a one-year deal last week after leaving Alfreton, only seven months after biding goodbye to Marston Road for their Blue Square North rivals.

His return came hot on the heels just days after Wellecomme left for another league opponent, big-spending Corby, ending a two-year stay as the longest serving player on the books.

The two were strike partners when the season opened last time out, building up a relationship that had already yielded 13 goals by the time the duo were broken up in November.

Wellecomme finished the season with 13 goals, while his one-time foil spent most of the rest of the campaign on the bench at the Impact Arena with game time hard to come by.

Now Mills has admitted it's likely to be down to him to provide the sort of all-action, powerful frontman play that his predecessor prided his game on last term.

The young striker is still only 20 years old, but is eager to take on the responsibility and establish himself in non-league football's second tier.

And the former Leek forward is jovial enough at the mention of the comparison.

He said: "Like every team, people come and go, Nick's a quality player and it won't be easy to replace him. No doubt people will be trying to compare us, we are similar players and as a new striker there will always be responsibility on you.

"Can I fill his boots? I will certainly give it a go."