TALENTED midfielder Jon Else will pull on a Cirencester Town shirt for the first time since 2012 when Scottish Premiership club Partick Thistle provide the friendly opposition at the Corinium Stadium tonight.

The 27-year-old former Forest Green player has been a regular in the North Leigh side in the Southern League Division One South & West but feels he wants the challenge of playing at a higher level.

During his last spell at the club, Else lost his father Gary, a very popular youth football coach in the Swindon area.

“Jon contacted me and asked if he could come along to training and we are very pleased to have him back,” said Brian Hughes. “He has signed up already.

“Of course, when he was last here it wasn’t a happy time because of his dad’s illness.”

Hughes, whose side have just had two training sessions since returning for pre-season, will field two totally different XIs playing 45 minutes against the Scottish tourists who have been enjoying a training camp this week at the University of Bath.

“It is far too early in pre-season for us to be playing really, and our lads won’t be ready to play more than 45 yet,” said Hughes.

“We still have a lot of shopping to do before the start of our season but at least we now have two recognised orthodox full backs in Luke Balinger and Scott Bevan.”

Perhaps the most pressing area on the pitch for Hughes is at centre back and midfield dynamo and captain Mat Liddiard will be required to fill in there for least a half of the Partick game.

Former Centurion Ben Brown, one-time Hartpury College student Tom Hoskins and ex-Cinderford defender James Fowke, now back from the States, will share the central defensive duties on this occasion.

Keepers Harvey Rivers and Josh Langley will stand between the sticks for a half apiece.

New signing Paul Fahy, who had a prolific goalscoring record for Slimbridge last season, will also make his Cirencester debut with Hughes hoping that he can take some of the burden of finding the net away from veteran striker Charlie Griffin, who bagged 26 league and cup goals last season.