1 March 2017
I've had to field a different sort of team lately, but to their credit, the lads have kicked on and haven't lost much of their lead in the standings.
At one time or another,
Kevin Hampson,
Damian Bradley, and
Matt Sayce were all injured. Sayce's injury is the worst. His twisted ankle might keep him off the pitch for another month or so. And
Lewis Jenkins didn't want to return to Parkside Road for another loan period, so we've lost him too. We'll miss him; he netted 14 times in 22 matches for us.
Hampson, for example, put us through to the Semi Final in the Challenge Cup, but went off with a sore leg in the game's final minute. He missed the West Auckland Town match, but returned with a brace against Harrogate Railway.
Our newest player has come in very handy, because he's very versatile.
Matthew Morgan, 24, came over from Blyth Spartans, the same club from which we signed
Kevin Hampson. Morgan is best at center back, where he's featured regularly since
Aaron Tollitt's loan spell ended. He can play anywhere along the middle of the pitch, however, and he's also decent on the right side.
Morgan is fairly similar to
Peter Law, with more offensive flair. Two Meter Peter offers a greater physical presence, but Matthew offers the ball skills that are essential to the style I want to play--building from the back and keeping the ball. We signed Morgan for £75/week for the rest of the season, so in effect, he's auditioning for next year's deal.
Hopefully, we'll all be playing in a higher league.
