GRAVESEND and Northfleet finally got their man when they signed former Gillingham striker James Pinnock. Fleet boss Andy Ford had wanted to snap up the forward when he left Gillingham in June 2001 but was beaten to the punch by Kingstonian.

But Pinnock, who scored six goals in 61 appearances for Kingstonian, decided to leave the club - despite receiving the manager's player of the year award last season - and joined Fleet last week.

Phil Handford, Fleet's deputy manager, said: "We tried to sign him when he was at Gills so it's good to finally have him at the club. He's a versatile player who can play as a forward or in midfield and will be a valuable asset."

Pinnock has experience of the Conference before, having played for Dover on loan from the Gills in 2000.

Fleet are still lining up several more summer transfers to bolster their squad for the next campaign. A target man and a midfielder have already been pencilled in but negotiations have been put on hold until Ford comes back from his summer break next week.

Handford said: "We're specifically looking for a big man up front to hold the ball up and act as a target. "Hopefully we will have everyone on board by the time pre-season training starts on July 1."

Former Fleet striker Che Stadhart - who was released by the club this summer - has joined conference rivals Margate.