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Four players arrive on eve of new season

ATHLETIC completed the captures of four players in a remarkable day of transfer activity at Boundary Park.

Manager Dave Penney’s preparations for the new campaign, which kicks off tomorrow with a local derby against Stockport County, moved into overdrive.

Athletic signed versatile Blackburn Rovers player Alex Marrow, former Sheffield Wednesday left-back Peter Gilbert, trialist striker Darren Byfield and ex-Darlington ’keeper Przemyslaw Kazimierczak.

The four have all arrived at Boundary Park either on loan or short-term contracts.

The day began with the signing of 19-year-old Marrow, who can play right back, centre-back and midfield.

He began his playing days at non-league Ashton Athletic, but is so highly regarded by Blackburn that he penned a new deal in January which doesn’t expire until the summer of 2011.

Free-agent Gilbert was the second to sign and he will provide cover at left-back for the injured Joe Jacobson (see other story).

Former Wales under-21 international Gilbert (26) has played league football for Plymouth, Leicester City and Sheffield Wednesday, who terminated his contract in April.

He has had trials pre-season at Coventry and Southend, but Athletic have offered him a route back into football.

Striker Byfield is no stranger to Boundary Park, having had a loan spell with Athletic last season.

Released by Doncaster Rovers at the end of last season, the 32-year-old has been training with Athletic for a couple of weeks.

The final new arrival is Kazimierczak, who worked with Penney at Darlington last season and who will provide cover for No. 1 Dean Brill.

Kazimierczak (21) spent four years at Bolton Wanderers during which he made his league debut on loan at Accrington Stanley.

He joined Darlington from Bolton in January, 2008, and went on to play nine league games for the Quakers before returning to Poland at the end of last season.