8 August 2017
After four league championships in four years, we find ourselves in the Conference Premier, the fifth level of English football. I have a feeling we're going to find the going much tougher this season.
For one thing, we'll be going up against teams with much, much more money to work with. Our board approved a wage budget of about £7000; that's a good deal more than we could spend last season, but it leaves us well behind many of our competitors.
As a result, I really couldn't have brought in a bunch of new players even if I'd wanted to. When my scouts identified players who might have made my squad better, they often wanted more money than I could afford to pay them without wrecking my budget.
That means you'll recognize a lot of the names on the first team roster. And, look--we're at a high enough level that they get squad numbers now!
Chris Beesley returns for his fifth season as our number one 'keeper. His backup,
Tom Knowles, is upset about the fact he's not getting first team football, but that's not going to happen here right now.
Malte Seidel and
Matty York return to the right and left sides of our back four, respectively. Center half
Matt Osman is back, too, and he'll have a new partner this year: big
Lloyd Unsworth, who was released from Bournemouth's youth program last month. Unsworth is a well-rounded defender, strong, fast and good in the air.
Jonathan Booth will serve as the first reserve all along the back line.
Tom Wilkinson has drawn raves for his performance during the preseason, and I'm looking for him to continue to improve. He's one of several players my staff believe are talented enough to make the transition to a higher league with relative ease. Roy Porter's departure left a hole on the other wing, and I've filled it with the signing of
Aiden Harris. The former Margate man is almost four years younger than Roy, with just as much pace, more defensive acumen, and a stronger mental game. Aiden also can play several positions well.
Holding midfielder
Dominic Hutchinson returns to the team, and he'll line up beside newcomer
Ryan Bellamy. Ryan was let go by League clubs Hartlepool and Oldham, but I believe his athleticism and technical skills will play well at this level. He is an especially good passer with a silky first touch. I'd like to find another midfield reserve to join
Terry Richards and
Ashley Lane.
Mick Hart and
Paul Douglas are back to lead the forward corps. Although my staff believe Douglas would be "a decent player for most Conference N/S sides," he retains a certain
je ne sais quoi that makes the team better when he's on the pitch. We don't give up much when
John Nash or
Josias Bedwell play. I'd especially like to see what Bedwell can do, before someone nicks him from us with the promise of first team football.
Here's an introduction to our most promising younger players, ranked in order of their potential:
Last year's prize youth grad, striker
Pearce Lynn needs only to develop his ability to anticipate what's happening him around him and his movement off the ball to be ready for the first team.
Daniel Gilligan is almost good enough for the subs' bench, and
Adam Rowland is probably our second best goalkeeper right now.
I'd love to find a place for
Kevin Lewis. His best position--defensive midfielder--is one I don't usually use. I'm hesitant to use a 5'9" lad at center back. Perhaps I'll see how he does as a holding M(C).
According to the experts, we'll be battling to avoid relegation this season, instead of competing for a title. Even our own staff believe only six or seven of our players are good enough to be solid contributors at this level. Fortunately, the board don't expect us to do more than stay up. We'll see if we can beat the odds and do a bit more than that.