Peter Taylor: I'm happy with the recruitment and I'm absolutely delighted with the attitude of the players. They have been really good in training and they are a good bunch. It's been a busy summer, but that was to be expected considering we aimed to transition from relegation strugglers to potential promotion candidates in just twelve weeks. Since our largely forgettable 2018/19 campaign drew to a close at the end of April, there's been a turnover of 26 players at the club. Peter Taylor has got two similarly-matched competitors for every position and there's not a single one who hasn't impressed at some point during pre-season. Of course, there's risks around assembling an entire new squad but, judging by the pre-season games, we seem to have balance, strength and depth. We only managed to record one victory out of seven, which isn't great, but the main thing is that we've been playing well. We've looked bright on the wings and it's clear to see, even at this stage, that our strategy next season is to dominate teams with height, evidenced by the sheer amount of crosses we swung into the box during pre-season. Frustratingly we seem to lack the killer final ball, a clinical cutting edge, yet conversely we don't look like conceding too often. In fact, aside from the Charlton game in which there was a gaping gulf in class, the goals we've conceded during pre-season have been split-second mistakes, rather than more serious, deep-rooted issues in the team. The errors are of course concerning, especially in the goalkeeping department, but it's better to get those out of the way before the big kick-off. The fact that we look defensively solid and stable bodes well, because - even if you don't score too many - teams that don't concede don't tend to lose too many games. We'd all take a Wrexham-esque 1-0 victory every week. Strikingly, though, we've played good opposition in pre-season and our first six friendlies were against sides from the National League South play-offs or above. Hornchurch sat two divisions below us but offered a physical challenge that we would've definitely benefited from. This has been the hardest schedule we've had for a fair few years, and we've made more progress testing ourselves against those kinds of teams than if we would have played the likes of Romford or Canvey Island and won 6-0. At the other end, though, there are problems for sure. Joe Quigley has looked fairly decent in the last couple of weeks but there are obvious concerns with him being our target man next season - nationality being the only department in which he and Conor Wilkinson are even remotely linked. In Grant, Balanta and Kandi we have three very good secondary strikers, but we still lack the 15+ goals-a-season main man that, history tells you, is integral at this level. Like defence, midfield is an area we've massively strengthened in. Mitch Brundle and Harold Odametey are, in my opinion, our two best signings by an absolute mile. Brundle was Dover's captain at 24 and contributed to almost a third of their goals last season, and having a midfielder who chips in with at least eight is another thing most previous title winners have had. It's been a long time since we've had a prolific man in the centre of the pitch, Luke Howell in 2012/13 the last I can remember, so this really is a highly impressive signing on paper. Harold Odametey is another midfielder who brings something different, and arrives with positive words from Maidenhead supporters. In our friendly games, he's shown what a great engine he has, flying from one box to another effortlessly. He won't let anybody have a moments' peace and that will be vital next season because it will enable us to control the midfield, another thing we haven't been able to do regularly for a while. So on paper we have a goalkeeper who, in this league, there aren't too many better than. We have a defence that shouldn't concede too many goals, and a centre-half pairing of Onariase and Clark who won't be outwitted often. We have a very good centre midfield pairing, alongside four very good wingers who are at our disposal, but it just seems to all come back to the striker. If we had a Rhys Murphy, or a JJ Hooper, or a Paul McCallum then we'd be huge candidates to go up. Without a key striker, we're a team that could go either way. A play-off push and a low-key mid-table season are both possible in equal measure. So, where does all this leave us ahead of Woking this weekend? We're going to need to come flying out of the blocks this season and, such is our favourable run of fixtures in the opening weeks of the campaign, that surely we have to be in the top three by the end of the month. If we're serious about even a top half finish then three points at home to Woking are simply non-negotiable, and we should also be looking at wins against Halifax and Boreham Wood too. We need 10 points from our first 12 available, Dover away being the only game of our first four where a point would be a good result. Therefore the first starting lineup of the season is absolutely crucial, and I don't envy Peter Taylor in deciding it. Wherever you look, someone is going to be undeservedly left out. Given that we've been playing a 4-4-2 all pre-season, I assume we'll be doing the same against Woking so effectively, with two players for every position, it's a battle between those two for who starts. It's going to be hard - there isn't much between McQueen and Dobson, or Luque and Graham, or Wood and Gordon. In fact, aside from goalkeeper which is perhaps the only position that we can predict with certainty, there's a case to be made for every single player in the squad to be in the starting XI for the Woking game: GK: JUSTHAM/STRIZOVIC
Strizovic was only brought in as a number two - there's no danger of him troubling Justham's no 1 spot. Strizovic is only 19 and very raw, as evidenced by his shaky displays during pre-season. LB: GORDON/WOOD Wood is probably more suited to playing in a back four, while Gordon's attacking skills would be perfect if Taylor wanted to play wing-backs. Either one could get the nod and it would be justified, but personally I'd go for Gordon. CB: ONARIASE/CLARK/CROLL We have three very good centre backs at the club so it's hard to leave any one of them out. There's no way we'll be omitting Clark given that he's captain, while similarly Manny isn't here to sit on the bench. Surely Croll will be the one to miss out. RB: WRIGHT/ELEFTHERIOU Wright was very good as a right-back towards the back end of last season, but new signing Eleftheriou looks a very strong addition to the squad so it's another tight call. Eleftheriou probably gives us more on the attacking front though. LW: GRAHAM/LUQUE Both have had good pre-seasons but Luque has probably stood out more, and his goals against Maidstone United and Hornchurch may just tip it in his favour. Personally, I really don't mind which of these two start. CM: BRUNDLE/ROBINSON/PHIPPS/ODAMETEY All four bring something different and wouldn't be out of place in the side, but Brundle and Odametey are the standouts and really should start. They both provide things we've lacked in recent years, and were highly-regarded at their previous clubs. RW: MCQUEEN/DOBSON This is the closest battle there is. Both looked sharp in pre-season but Dobson may well edge McQueen to a starting place due to his set-piece abilities. ST: KANDI/BALANTA/GRANT/QUIGLEY As is also the case in central midfield, we have four players who provide very different qualities. Ability wise, Balanta and Grant could be a great partnership but I have a feeling Taylor will be starting Quigley.
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WRITERArchives
January 2024
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