Ian Allinson’s squad for the 2018/19 season is beginning to take shape after the double signing of Luke Tingey and Dave Diedhiou from Hendon.

The pair arrived last week, with Tingey adding options in defence and Diedhiou an experienced figure in the heart of the City midfield.

Tingey is a versatile defender who can play in a number of positions across the backline and arrives at Clarence Park with experience beyond his years.

Despite being only 21, he has made 113 appearances for Hendon during his three years with the club.

He came through the MK Dons youth set up before being released by the club in August 2015 and going on to join Hendon.

Diedhiou. meanwhile, will add the knowhow City boss Ian Allinson has been eager to inject into his young squad.

The Senegalese midfielder has made over 400 appearances for Hendon since joining the Greens in 2008.

At 29, Diedhiou, who found the net 43 times during his spell with Hendon still has plenty to offer and played a key role in taking Hendon to the brink of promotion last month.

For Allinson the signings present the latest steps of a rebuilding task ahead of the 2018/19 National League South campaign.

The City boss has already been able to add Khale Da Costa to his squad, while a number of key players have agreed to extend their Clarence Park stays.

David Noble, Sam Merson and Harold Joseph are the latest names to pledge their future to City and they join Dean Snedker, Tom Bender, Ben Herd, Percy Kiangebeni and Zane Baton in doing so.

The Saints will be hoping to improve on a strong 2017/18 campaign which saw then miss out on a play-off spot by a narrow margin.

They finished eighth in the table, one place and four points outside the play-off places after struggling for consistency late in the campaign.

A run of four defeats from the final five games of the season undermined an otherwise impressive campaign and left Allinson questioning whether his side had the experience to deal with pressure late in the season.

He was, nonetheless, pleased with his side’s efforts and remained optimistic they will be able to improve with the right additions in the off-season.

Looking back on last season, City have been rewarded for the spirited manner in which they played the game.

The National League has awarded the Saints with the respect and fair play award.