ROSS HANNAH has returned to Chester just 12 months after his exit from the club, signing a two-year deal.

Hannah has re-signed on a permanent two-year deal from Barrow, with Chester having fought off competition from Halifax and cross-border rivals Wrexham for his signature.

The move represents a serious shot in the arm for boss Jon McCarthy as he looks to replace the goals scored last season by out-of-contract striker James Alabi, who looks set to depart the club, with Barnet and Dagenham interested in securing his services.

The move follows the arrival of Andy Halls, who has also been snapped up, joining from Cheshire rivals Macclesfield Town. The 25-year-old right-back has made 109 appearances for the Silkmen having previously played over 100 times for Stockport County.

But it's the arrival of fans’ favourite Hannah that will most delight supporters, with the 31-year-old having topped the goalscoring charts in the 2015/16 campaign with 26 strikes in all competitions.

He was restricted to just 10 starts last season at Barrow and boss Paul Cox has opted to allow the forward to be released from his contract a year early, having snapped up former Wrexham striker Jordan White last week on a free transfer.

Hannah was a huge hit at Chester having arrived from Grimsby Town, and had bagged 13 goals by early January during his prolific spell with the club, including a hat-trick in the 4-1 win over Torquay United.

He suffered a hamstring injury which kept him out of action in late January but returned to the first-team fold to notch further braces in the 8-2 thrashing of Aldershot and 4-2 success over Gateshead, his last appearance for the Blues.

Hannah was initially expected to leave Barrow on a season-long loan, with boss Cox reluctant to release the forward, but Chester have fought off competition from Halifax and Wrexham to finally secure their key transfer target.