NOT only has Jameel Ible returned to Guiseley after a spell away, striker Jake Cassidy has also made the Nethermoor comeback after five years away.

And Cassidy returns to Guiseley AFC as the third of manager Danny Ellis’ new signings.

The pair played together at Darlington last season and Cassidy said: “Once I heard that Danny had got the job at Guiseley I wanted to join him at Nethermoor. He is someone I have worked with as a player. He has signed George Smith who was also at Darlington with us last season and he is a great lad. He is someone I think the Guiseley fans will like and it is excellent to have him on board.”

Welsh forward Cassidy, 29, played for Guiseley in the 2016-17 season scoring eight goals in 34 games. At the end of that season he moved on to Hartlepool before playing alongside Ellis for Darlington in a side that also included former Guiseley players Jake Lawlor, Alex Purver and Will Hatfield.

Pontefract-based Cassidy is a former Welsh U-19 and U-21 international who has played in five different leagues in his career so far – The Championship with Wolves; League One with Tranmere Rovers, Notts County, Southend and Oldham; League Two with Stevenage; the National League with Guiseley, Hartlepool, Maidstone and Maidenhead and the National League North with Darlington and York City.

On the upcoming season, Cassidy said: “The Pitching In Northern Premier League is a new level for me and it will bring a different challenge, one I am looking forward to. I am hoping to help the club move forward and get back up the leagues. There will be new grounds for me to visit so that is something to look forward to. It will be good to be back with the Guiseley fans, I loved it the first time there, it is a nice club to be at and everyone associated with it was brilliant to me last time out.”

Cassidy added: “We will be looking to achieve promotion, that is the goal from everyone, and the manager is recruiting players who have got the hunger to get Guiseley back up the leagues. It has not been great for the club and its supporters to have two relegations in recent years so we want to be getting the club back to those levels and we will be doing our best to accomplish that.”

Cassidy and his partner Sophie Walton have a five year-old son Alfie-J who has already been snapped up by Manchester City’s pre-Academy. Hardly surprising that Alfie is already showing football talent as Sophie has just ended a 17 year career in the women’s game having won youth caps for England, as did her brother, the former Guiseley midfielder Simon Walton.

Sophie, like Simon, started out with Leeds United and ended her career with Sheffield United, having had a spell with Guiseley Vixens. She counts Manchester City and former England Captain Steph Houghton as her best friend so young Alfie has plenty of footballing advice at hand.

Whilst with The Blades Sophie assisted Women’s manager Neil Redfearn with coaching. Brother Simon now works as a scout for Chelsea and runs his own football academy. He also works as a match summeriser for BBC Radio Leeds on Leeds United games.