Billy Turley faces fierce competition for the No 1 jersey at Oxford United for the first time since their Football League days following Chris Wilder’s double capture of Ryan Clarke and Marcus Kelly on Tuesday.

New keeper Clarke, 27, has been signed on a three-year deal from Northwich.

A former England Under 18 international, he began his career with Bristol Rovers, was at Salisbury from 2006, and had a blinder for Northwich in their 2-1 win against the U’s at the Kassam Stadium on the final day of the season.

Kelly, 23, meanwhile, is a left-sided midfielder who joins from Rushden on a one-year contract.

Not since their ill-fated Coca-Cola League Two campaign in 2005-6 when Chris Tardif kept him out of the team for a spell, has Turley really been pushed.

Last year youngster Ben Hinchliffe stepped up to the plate at the start of the season when Turley was recovering from surgery, but the experienced ex-Rushden keeper was quickly rushed back.

Turley will be 36 when next season begins, and in Clarke he will find someone who pushes him hard in training – and for a starting place.

United’s new signing said: “Billy’s a great keeper and it is going to be a real challenge for me to try and get the shirt off him.”

Said Wilder: “We had to wait until Ryan became available, but it’s a massive part of the pitch and important that we have competition there.

“I’ve never really understood why it’s been the case that the competition for the goalkeeper’s shirt has not been the same as the competition for places in other areas of the pitch.

“Billy’s been great for us and he’s got a stiff test now.

“We have two No 1 goalkeepers who can battle it out. If there’s a loss of form from one of them, then the other can come in and do a great job.

And he added: “It doesn’t always just have to be myself and the coaching staff . . . players drive each other on to better standards and that’s what we’re looking for with Billy and Ryan.

“That’s no disrespect to Ben, but Ben was learning his trade, and we felt that we need to get this position right.

“And we’ve done it in a really good situation with Ryan because we’ve got the boy on a free.”