Hallam FC are determined not to be left behind in Sheffield's non-league footballing stakes.

Rivals Sheffield FC have just been promoted from the Northern Counties East league and are joining Stocksbridge higher up the soccer pyramid in the UniBond South.

Coming on top of a mediocre season which saw Hallam come fourteenth out of twenty, and now staring at a 2007-8 fixture list without the highlight of a city derby, it makes for a potentially depressing picture.

But the Sandygate club are determined to make their mark when the serious action starts.

They have recruited two ex-Sheffield players in Ryan O'Carroll and Ben Cressey and extended the squad further with Staveley's Rob Cam, Danny Bainbridge and Adam Tyler.

Retford's Will Tomlinson and Rossington's Nicky Scaife are newcomers too.

Hallam, who have lost marksman Scott Bates to newly-promoted
NCEL rivals Parkgate, are adamant they can grab their share of the non-league market.

Secretary Mark Radford said: "Last season's fourteenth spot was disappointing, considering we were third at Christmas.

"Our home form was dreadful, which is a shame because our ground used to be a fortress.

"But, our signings should make us a better team, on top of the nucleus we retained. We're looking for a top-six slot."