British soccer player signs for club while awaiting retrial

CHESTERFIELD, England (AP) - A British soccer player awaiting a retrial after his conviction for rape was overturned has signed a one-year contract with a third-tier English club.

Chesterfield announced the signing of Ched Evans on Monday, with chairman Dave Allen saying the club has "given a great deal of thought to this signing" and that the striker "should be welcomed back."

Evans, who is Welsh, was convicted in April 2012 of raping a 19-year-old woman at a hotel in north Wales. He was released from prison last year after serving half of his five-year sentence. The 27-year-old Evans always maintained his innocence and took his case to the Criminal Cases Review Commission, which overturned the original verdict.

The new trial is on Oct. 4.

Evans is a former Manchester City and Wales striker.