Chatham Town sign former West Ham, Crystal Palace, Colchester United and Ipswich Town forward Freddie Sears – Kevin Hake’s Isthmian Premier side host a Gillingham XI on Friday night

Chatham Town have announced a big new signing ahead of their Friday night friendly against Gillingham.

Front-man Freddie Sears is the latest addition to the Isthmian Premier Division squad - a player who once played and scored for West Ham United and has bags of Football League experience.

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Sears was at Chatham to watch their game against Coventry City under-21s on Tuesday night and is set to play a part on Friday night when they take on a Gills XI.

The 34-year-old striker said: “The whole project excites me. I’ve been speaking to the manager, and I came here the other night and I was blown away by the set-up and the ambition.

“I want to come here and get promoted and hopefully kick on to the next division. I want to get going and start playing. I am itching to get out there again - I can’t wait.”

Sears was most recently playing for Braintree Town in the National League – the top tier of the non-league game – but earlier on in his career he played top-flight football with both West Ham and Crystal Palace.

Freddie Sears is itching to get started.