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Greyfriars Bobby · 11-26-2018, 09:19 PM

14 March 2018

Eight rounds of fixtures remain on the Conference Premier schedule, and we continue to consolidate our position in the league. We are now 18 points clear of the relegation places, so I feel comfortable about our ability to remain up for next season.

On Deadline Day, we said goodbye to a faithful club servant. Ashley Lane was a regular midfielder for us for three years, before we reached the Conference. At this level, he's been a versatile backup who never threw his toys out of the pram when he didn't start. Ashley is 24 years old now, and if he doesn't establish himself as a regular soon, he might never get the chance. He asked to have his contract terminated, and we let him go with our best wishes. I'll keep up with him, and I'll let you know where he ends up next. Good luck, Ashley.

As we were bidding Ashley farewell, we were greeting our newest arrivals. Joining us on loan for the rest of the season is veteran Tyler Burns. Tyler came out of Everton's youth program and spent 16 years with the Toffees, earning a single England cap in the process. He came to Gillingham on a free transfer in 2015, and enjoyed a stellar 2016/17 season (5 goals, 10 assists). At age 37, Tyler has lost almost all his pace, but his technical skills are as refined as they ever were, and his command of the mental aspects of football are first-rate. Ryan Bellamy will be unavailable for several weeks while his pulled hamstring heals, so Burns will come in very handy.

I also did something I've never done before: sign a player on something other than a free transfer. I paid Lowestoft Town £6000 for center back Tomasz Wisniewski. Tomasz was a key member of the Trawlerboys' team that won promotion to the Conference Premier in 2016, but they went back down immediately last year. It wasn't Tomas's fault, as he was one of the league's most accomplished defenders.

The towering Pole, who played for his country at the under 21 level, is a commanding presence in the air. He is stronger than all but the most powerful strikers, and his determination is second to none. Tomasz wouldn't have been fast enough to play the high press we used back in the Southern League, but his lack of pace shouldn't keep him from doing a job for us now. He showed his class with a dominant performance at Hednesford Town on 24 February, winning 17 headers and making 18 interceptions. He's slotted in beside Lloyd Unsworth to form a powerful center-back pairing.

If it looks like these moves are the kind a manager makes when he thinks the playoffs might be a possibility, that's because I think that's what I need to do right now.

I succeeded in convincing the board that they needed to raise our wage budget in order to compete with our rivals. With an additional £3000/week to work with, I was able to extend the contracts of several important players. The day after Mick Hart hit his 100th goal for Wantage Town (in his 147th appearance), I thanked him with a new contract, which he quickly accepted. It was easy to justify new deals for Chris Beesley and Tom Wilkinson. Malte Seidel was happy to return for another year, and without a big salary rise. I had some doubt about renewing Dominic Hutchinson's deal, because he's struggled to find his form this season. He is, however, among our team's Favoured Personnel, and his contract demands weren't extreme.

The board made it much easier for me to commit myself to staying at Wantage Town. I wonder if they know how serious I was about leaving, had they not freed up some funds to keep a competitive team on the pitch.

Lately, we've been beating the teams we should beat and dropping points to the playoff teams. I'm not too disappointed with that right now.

We celebrated our return to Alfredian Park on 4 March, where 900 fans watched us draw with Wrexham. Our average crowds at our temporary home, the County Ground, were about a third as big. It's great to be back home.

Head of Youth Development Luke Noble introduced his newest class of youth program graduates this week.

The best of the bunch are as promising as any young players we've produced since I've been here, and that's saying a lot.

Sean Boshell has an attribute polygon that looks almost exactly like Kevin Lewis's, and Kevin is two years older and a Wales youth international. Our staff say Sean could develop into a Championship-calibre defensive midfielder.

Perhaps he'll pair one day with Luke Beauchamp, who has the vision and passing range of a future midfield creator. I prefer my fullbacks to be more comfortable pushing forward than Matthew Sullivan seems to be, but his defensive skills are already solid enough to make him our second-best option at right back. All three of these players, plus goalkeeper Bobby Ashby and forwards Ash Newell and Greig Ferguson, are rated by our staff as League 2 talents or better.

11-26-2018, 09:19 PM	#47
Greyfriars Bobby College Prospect Join Date: Sep 2013	14 March 2018 Eight rounds of fixtures remain on the Conference Premier schedule, and we continue to consolidate our position in the league. We are now 18 points clear of the relegation places, so I feel comfortable about our ability to remain up for next season. On Deadline Day, we said goodbye to a faithful club servant. Ashley Lane was a regular midfielder for us for three years, before we reached the Conference. At this level, he's been a versatile backup who never threw his toys out of the pram when he didn't start. Ashley is 24 years old now, and if he doesn't establish himself as a regular soon, he might never get the chance. He asked to have his contract terminated, and we let him go with our best wishes. I'll keep up with him, and I'll let you know where he ends up next. Good luck, Ashley. As we were bidding Ashley farewell, we were greeting our newest arrivals. Joining us on loan for the rest of the season is veteran Tyler Burns. Tyler came out of Everton's youth program and spent 16 years with the Toffees, earning a single England cap in the process. He came to Gillingham on a free transfer in 2015, and enjoyed a stellar 2016/17 season (5 goals, 10 assists). At age 37, Tyler has lost almost all his pace, but his technical skills are as refined as they ever were, and his command of the mental aspects of football are first-rate. Ryan Bellamy will be unavailable for several weeks while his pulled hamstring heals, so Burns will come in very handy. I also did something I've never done before: sign a player on something other than a free transfer. I paid Lowestoft Town £6000 for center back Tomasz Wisniewski. Tomasz was a key member of the Trawlerboys' team that won promotion to the Conference Premier in 2016, but they went back down immediately last year. It wasn't Tomas's fault, as he was one of the league's most accomplished defenders. The towering Pole, who played for his country at the under 21 level, is a commanding presence in the air. He is stronger than all but the most powerful strikers, and his determination is second to none. Tomasz wouldn't have been fast enough to play the high press we used back in the Southern League, but his lack of pace shouldn't keep him from doing a job for us now. He showed his class with a dominant performance at Hednesford Town on 24 February, winning 17 headers and making 18 interceptions. He's slotted in beside Lloyd Unsworth to form a powerful center-back pairing. If it looks like these moves are the kind a manager makes when he thinks the playoffs might be a possibility, that's because I think that's what I need to do right now. I succeeded in convincing the board that they needed to raise our wage budget in order to compete with our rivals. With an additional £3000/week to work with, I was able to extend the contracts of several important players. The day after Mick Hart hit his 100th goal for Wantage Town (in his 147th appearance), I thanked him with a new contract, which he quickly accepted. It was easy to justify new deals for Chris Beesley and Tom Wilkinson. Malte Seidel was happy to return for another year, and without a big salary rise. I had some doubt about renewing Dominic Hutchinson's deal, because he's struggled to find his form this season. He is, however, among our team's Favoured Personnel, and his contract demands weren't extreme. The board made it much easier for me to commit myself to staying at Wantage Town. I wonder if they know how serious I was about leaving, had they not freed up some funds to keep a competitive team on the pitch. Lately, we've been beating the teams we should beat and dropping points to the playoff teams. I'm not too disappointed with that right now. We celebrated our return to Alfredian Park on 4 March, where 900 fans watched us draw with Wrexham. Our average crowds at our temporary home, the County Ground, were about a third as big. It's great to be back home. Head of Youth Development Luke Noble introduced his newest class of youth program graduates this week. The best of the bunch are as promising as any young players we've produced since I've been here, and that's saying a lot. Sean Boshell has an attribute polygon that looks almost exactly like Kevin Lewis's, and Kevin is two years older and a Wales youth international. Our staff say Sean could develop into a Championship-calibre defensive midfielder. Perhaps he'll pair one day with Luke Beauchamp, who has the vision and passing range of a future midfield creator. I prefer my fullbacks to be more comfortable pushing forward than Matthew Sullivan seems to be, but his defensive skills are already solid enough to make him our second-best option at right back. All three of these players, plus goalkeeper Bobby Ashby and forwards Ash Newell and Greig Ferguson, are rated by our staff as League 2 talents or better. Last edited by Greyfriars Bobby : 11-27-2018 at 08:15 PM.