ALDERSHOT Town have made a flurry of signings ahead of the pre-season friendly against Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink’s QPR on Friday.

The arrival of Woking striker Scott Rendell for a second spell with Aldershot was followed by the signings of right-back Nick Arnold from Whitehawk and midfielder Liam Bellamy from Dover Athletic.

In addition, manager Gary Waddock has appointed former West Ham academy coach James Rowe as his assistant.

Rowe previously forged a prolific record as a striker with Histon, Canvey Island, Leamington, Leiston and AFC Sudbury.

The 32-year-old, who holds a UEFA A coaching licence, also worked in the Birmingham City academy for three years and as a coaching advisor to the Premier League. He holds a masters degree in sports science and is currently studying for a masters coaching degree at the Johan Cruyff Institute in Amsterdam, alongside eight elite coaches and athletes across a range of sports.

“It’s been a full-on five years, mainly in youth development, but now is the right time to step into first-team football,” said Rowe. “It had to be the right opportunity – there were a couple that came along that I didn’t take, because it didn’t feel right, but this certainly feels right, especially with Gary at the helm.”

Scott Rendell, 29, scored 49 goals in 83 appearances during his first two seasons with Woking, but suffered a knee injury in the first game of 2015-16, which kept him out for the entire season.

He was initially a member of the Aldershot youth team and became the club’s youngest ever goal-scorer in August 2003. He later played 13 matches for the Shots in a loan spell from Reading between February and April 2005, at the beginning of a career which has seen him score over 150 goals in just over 400 games.

He has played in the Football League with Peterborough, Torquay, Wycombe and Oxford United, and won promotion to League One with both the Posh and the Chairboys.

Rendell’s 26 goals won three Player of the Year awards with Woking in 2014-15, adding to his 23 scored during 2013-14.

“I’m really pleased that we’ve been able to bring Scott to the club,” said Gary Waddock. “He’s a proven scorer – that’s the key, and it’s a big signing for us. He’s fit and well, but we’ll manage him. We’ll put him in when we feel the time is right, but he’s strong and has had a thorough medical.”

Full-back Nick Arnold, 22, who can also play as a winger, was part of Whitehawk’s run to the National League South play-offs in 2014-15 and 2015-16, as well as last season’s historic run to the FA Cup second round.

A graduate of the Reading academy, he made 33 appearances in a season-long loan with Wycombe Wanderers in 2013-14.

Midfielder Liam Bellamy, 24, played over 160 National League games for Dover Athletic and Ebbsfleet, including 25 appearances as Chris Kinnear’s side reached the 2015-16 play-offs.

Bellamy, who stands 6ft 2in tall, is a graduate of the Charlton and Brentford academies. He helped Dover win the Skrill South play-off final in 2013-14 and, in January 2015, started in their FA Cup third-round tie against Crystal Palace.

* Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink will field a QPR first team for the friendly at the EBB Stadium (ko 7.45pm).

* Aldershot Town’s Football in the Community Trust won the ‘Best Schools Project’ award at the National League Annual Congress, after a year in which the club reached over 15,000 local children.

The scheme beat 71 other National League clubs in its promotion of curriculum support, exercise and healthy lifestyle choices and will now reinvest the £5000 prize to make the scheme even better in 2016-17.

With keen support from first-team players in assisting the Trust’s three full-time and 16 part-time coaching staff, local schools have benefited from projects including Double Club – which combines literacy and numeracy work with sports coaching – plus the Half-Time Shoot-Out during home games, stadium tours and, of course, football skills for both teachers and pupils.

* Aldershot Town FC are launching their 2016-17 first-team playing shirt this week. The bespoke red-and-blue shirt, manufactured by Adidas, is a classic Shots design to welcome manager Gary Waddock back to the club.