Northampton Town manager Justin Edinburgh is happy that in addition to the batch of younger players signed this summer, the club have also added a number of more experienced players with proven records.
"Sam Foley is a player who I have worked with before and I have always kept an eye on," he said.
"With Leon Barnett and Daniel Powell joining as well I am really pleased. In the last few years all three players have all won a promotion from this level or higher and that is a big help. They know what is required. We need to get the blend right this summer and we feel we are doing that.
"We need to be looking up the table and we know we need to be better than last season. We realise that League 1 will be a tough league, there will be some big clubs and some good teams but we are looking to improve.
"We are realistically optimistic and we are certainly looking upwards. We need to be in the right areas in the table to give ourselves the best possible chance.