20 October 2016
Today is a big day in Wantage Town FC history, as the new, expanded Alfredian Park is ready for its ribbon-cutting. It's twice as big as it used to be, with room for 3000 and seats for 550. Our first match there will be on 1 November.
We'll actually bid a fond farewell to Culham Road, because we never lost there in league play. In fact, we've only lost once in the league, period.
In our first game in the Conference South, we met an old foe from the Southern Premier, Tiverton Town. A brace from new man Malte Seidel enabled us to earn a draw, but Whitehawk hit us for four goals three days later. We let in seven in our first two matches, so I decided to tweak our tactical setup a bit.
Even at this higher level, we still have one of the hardest working teams in our league. I like pressing a bit higher up the pitch, but the better teams we're facing now can make us pay dearly for that. I decided to turn our mentality down a notch, from Standard to Counter, when we face the better Conference sides, especially away. It's been working most of the time, and when it doesn't, we've been lucky to score at least as many as our opponent. Since the loss at Whitehawk, we've gone eight matches without a loss--six wins and two draws.
Aldershot Town, the team I came close to interviewing with last season, knocked us out of the Southern League Cup, and Conference South rival Ebbsfleet United eliminated us from the FA Cup. Still, the board are thrilled with the job I've been doing...and I've already extended my contract through the 2017/18 season.
Do you see a familiar name among the list of players who have scored for us this season? Yes,
Tom Logan is back in Wantage green and white hoops!
In early September,
Mick Hart twisted an ankle, and physio
Kamil Hajto told me he'd be out for about a month. With a crowded fixture list staring me in the face, I pored over my scouts' lists of strikers who might be available to fill in while Mick recuperated. I saw that Logan was available; he'd been released by Weymouth at the end of last season. Tom was willing to join us on a non-contract basis and accept a backup role. He's already written a new chapter in his Alfredian story, banging in four as we sent off Margate.
Hart's injury also gave
John Nash an opportunity to show us what he's capable of, and he's taken full advantage of it. Mick is back now, but I'm going to try to make sure John gets plenty of playing time, too.
We're three points off Bishop's Stortford's pace, but we also have three games in hand. Incidentally, Bishop's Stortford has Rocky Upton in their team now, on another short-term loan from Chesterfield.
The three teams that don't show in this table are Bath City (2-2-7, 8 points), Woking (1-2-7, 5 points; -8 goal differential), and Wealdstone (1-2-8, 5 points, -16 goal differential). I was afraid we'd be down at that end of the table. At least for now, we're looking a lot better.