DANNY Ayres has been overwhelmed by the welcome from Cradley fans since joining the club last month.

Ayres will meet supporters for the first time when he appears on stage at Cradley Heath Liberal Club on Friday, February 3 with a bumper turnout expected.

It promises to be an entertaining evening as the 29-year-old talks about his life and career with admission £5 on the door.

He has made the switch to the Heathens from Kent – and he already has a big fan base in the West Midlands after wooing crowds during guest appearances for the club.

Ayres said: “I’ve been over the moon with the reaction from the Cradley fans. The support I’ve got has been great, and there couldn’t really have been a better response since it’s been announced.

“To be fair I’m absolutely buzzing for the evening in Cradley in a few weeks. It’ll be great to get down there and have a good chat with everyone before the season starts.

“They’re a great bunch of fans, and it should be a good night so hopefully everyone can make it down and have a fun night.”

Meanwhile, Ayres has revealed he is ahead of schedule in his recovery from shoulder surgery at the beginning of December.

He stated: “My recovery couldn’t have gone any better so far. From the second I got out of surgery, I could instantly feel my shoulder was much more solid.

“The surgeon said the shoulder hadn’t been set in the correct position, but he obviously put that right and put in a couple of screws to hold it together.

“I’ve probably got a couple more weeks of gentle exercises to do, then we can start to push on with some intense physio before the season starts.

“To be honest, I think I’ll be back to full strength probably quicker than I expected with the way things are going, so I’m really happy.

“I just want to say a big thanks to my surgeon, Dr Graham Tytherleigh-Strong, and everyone at the Spire Hospital for the way they looked after me.”

The ‘Danny Ayres Show’ – hosted by broadcaster Nigel Pearson – starts at 7.30pm and admission is £5 on the door. The club will announce details of their meet the team night at the event.