By Carl Field for the Dunstable Gazette.

Ex-captain Grant Carney is back at Molten Spartan SML Premier Division club Dunstable Town as their new player/manager.

Striker Carney, who is a familiar name around the local football scene, will be a popular choice with the Creasey Park faithful, having scored more than 200 goals during a five-year spell with the Blues between 1999-2004.

On returning to the club at which he had so much success, Carney told the News/Gazette this week: "I got a call from Darren Croft after he took over as chairman and he said there was an opportunity here, and I bit his hand off to be honest.
"I'm back because I care passionately about the club.
"When I was here before a few years ago, a lot of people cared about Dunstable Townm and I was one of them, all of us around the place chipped in and worked hard around the club.
"Even when I left to go and play for Hemel Hempstead Town, Dunstable's result would always be one of the first I would look for.
"And that's natural when you play for a club as long as I did this one, scored as many goals as I did and the bond I built up with the fans.
"I can't wait to get started. Obviously the ambition next season will be to win the South Midlands League and gain promotion back to the Southern League."

Carney also revealed that another former Dunstable favourite, Steve Castleman, will also be returning to the club as his right-hand man.

The new manager's first two signings are ex Blues midfielder Jonathan Barnett and former Crawley Green favourite James Potter.

Long-serving goalkeeper Paul Taylor, meanwhile, has committed to at least one more season at the club and will be staying on as captain.

Fittingly, his 500th appearance for the Blues will be in the home pre-season friendly against Luton Town on Wednesday, July 14.

Carney added: "In a game like that, you usually expect an U18 team, but I've spoken to Richard Money over at Luton, and he has promised to send the first team down, which will be really nice.
"Both of my lads are in the youth set-up at Luton, so there's a bit of a link there to start with."

It is all change at Creasey Park this summer, with the club's former joint-manager Croft returning as chairman.

Croft was in charge from when the club reformed for a second time in 1998 through until 2004.

He, alongside joint-manager Paul Reeves, steered the club through one of their most successful periods, winning five promotions in six seasons to rise up from Division Two of the SSML back into the Southern League.

Croft said: "Grant Carney has a lot of passion for this football club and that's why I decided he was the right man for the job.
"I'm also pleased to be back involved and the aim is to stabilise Dunstable Town.
"The club needs to survive. In the past it has got in a bit of a rut, paying players wages perhaps it couldn't afford to pay, but now we must stabilise the ship.
"We also want to try and attract more local players.
"Last season, there were a lot of lads here from outside the area and, they are more than welcome too, but we'd like to get some more local boys in if possible. Myself and Pete Burgoyne speak a lot, he continued to do an excellent job and will be staying with us to see the ground development through."