I mentioned previously the strikers I’ve had at my disposal in the past who have either retired or are now plying their trade elsewhere. Well I had a look at the squad as a whole who I had picked for the first game of last season and the numbers are staggering.

Four…yes…only four players from 12 months ago were involved on Saturday. One of them, the captain of the last four seasons, Matty Banham, informed me this week that he was joining Jamie at Mulbarton. It’s hard to take really & coupled with difficult start that the fixture list gave us, the new side that Nick & I have had to mould was always going to take a little bit of time to gel.

However, I had not really expected us to be 3 games in and yet to score. The only senior club to do so and we’ll be mid-September before we play in the league again. It’s something we’re working on and have been using training sessions to try and improve but it’s severely not happening in front of goal at the moment and if the current players in the squad aren’t doing it, then we may have to look elsewhere. The only problem is, 20 goal strikers do not grow on trees & finding them, then getting them to come over is difficult.

Anyway, away from our problems in front of the goal, the 2 games against Acle & Harleston were obviously against last year’s champions & from what I saw last Saturday, this year’s probable Champion’s.

I really do feel that we let Acle off the hook the other Saturday. They had a number of player’s missing and we had a really good chance of finally ending that 9 year jinx (the last time we beat Acle at home). Sorry to say, our wastefulness in front of goal was to blame and in the end had Crosbie’s late header bounced the other side of the post, we could well have been staring at 3 defeats in a row. It felt like a defeat in the dressing room afterwards & the players knew it was a chance lost.

The Harleston game was completely different. On a 20-odd game unbeaten run from last season, the hosts oozed in class throughout the game. I still maintain the six nil score-line was harsh on us & perversely I thought we played some of our best football of the season at times. Their keeper has had to make two or three smart saves & our build up play was neat & tidy….until that final third.

Harleston, on the other hand, look a well drilled, organised, fit and fluent unit & once the game went to 4 nil in that second half, probably proceeded to drop down to second gear. Although I would not go as far as saying the game was as one sided as the score-line suggest, far from it, the main difference between both sides was in & around the opposition box. As I have mentioned in my match report, it will take a very good side to stop Harleston winning the league this season.

Today, we entertain & welcome Hellesdon in the Mummery Cup as we look to get our season up and running. I’ve had some success in this competition over the years, being part of a Blofield side that have made the final on 4 occasions (winning two of them). It’s always a competition that I feel any club has a chance of making to the final, take Bradenham & Caister recently & I’m sure Hellesdon will equally feel that way in what will be a tough game for the beavers.

Sizz