Oxford United have strengthened their squad with the signing of left back Anthony Tonkin from Blue Square Premier rivals Cambridge United for an undisclosed fee.
The experienced left-back began his career at Yeovil Town where he made ninety-five starts before joining Stockport County.
A £150,000 fee took him to Crewe Alexandra for three years before a return to Yeovil. The last three years have seen him starring at Grays Athletic, Forest Green Rovers and Cambridge.
Oxford chairman Kelvin Thomas was delighted with the new arrival: "Since Stevie Kinniburgh suffered his injury we have only had one recognised left-back in the squad so Anthony offers us great competition in that role, as well as a wealth of experience in this league and above."
Tonkin`s arrival has once again been part funded by the `12th Man Fund` which has seen fans give financial support to the club at vital moments this season, and Thomas was keen to praise their efforts: "What makes the `12th Man` scheme so great is situations like this. We knew we had to bring in a left-back and if you want to bring the best players in the league in to the club then you have to spend money.
“We could not have brought a player of Anthony's calibre into the club without the `12th Man Fund` paying for any fee. I see other clubs saying that we are 'awash with cash' but that's not true - we are simply utilising all the resources available to try and make this squad as strong as it can possibly be. People should never forget that football is our business and we have to invest wisely in the right areas to try to bring success."
Chris Davis, spokesman for the `12th Man Fund` commented: "The `12th Man Fund` is delighted to have contributed to Anthony's signing at a crucial stage of the season. He is an experienced, talented player who we are sure will do well for the club.
"We'd like to thank all the supporters who have contributed £25,000 to the fund since its inception, a sum massively in advance of what was originally envisaged by the organisers. Anthony's purchase is now the third squad addition the supporters have helped to fund.
"The `12th Man` will continue to grow over the coming months and we encourage fans to continue to raise funds so we can aid the club to sign players of a similar calibre in the future."
