Lopo’s View

January 30, 2009 Leave a Comment

Things are certainly looking up at the newly named Lamex stadium! We are on a twelve match unbeaten run and finally looking like we could be general promotion contenders but are the games in hand that teams around us have going to scorn our superb late form. The squad is looking good with dead slowly being removed from the squad and players like Drury and Bridges impressing since getting a run in the team. With Steve Morison set to leave in the summer especially if promotion is not achieved goals will have to come from somewhere else and there have been a few games where Moro hasn’t been the only player on the score sheet.

It’s been a little while since my last view and the squad has changed quite a bit. I was talking about lowering expectations at Broadhall Way but the recent upturn in form has certainly given supporters more hope but we have to realise that we have 15 games remaining and to seriously be considered as promotion candidates we will need to win most of them. Unless teams like Kettering, Torquay and Wrexham lost most of their games in hand we may have to accept that a realistic finish will be between 8th and 11th. We’ve certainly come along way since Grays at home in December where I left early for the first time after a half hearted and disappointing performance. A spirited draw away to Oxford and a good home win to Rushden really turned over a page and we look a more balanced team than we did previously.

Taking a point away to Cambridge was also deserved although we left it late as the rivalry seems to grow and grow.  Following a late equaliser for Rushden on New Year ‘s Day we have won 5 straight games and seem to be playing a lot better football. Two easy and convincing wins over Lewes and Barrow have shown good strength at home and a dominating cup win over Farnborough and win away to Salisbury have shown we can control games away from home and in the Salisbury game show good determination too. Kettering was a game that was difficult to call pre match after Kettering’s heroics on the previous Saturday against Fulham they made several changes and dominated a poor first half. Their goal just before half time spurred us on in the second half and we deservedly equalised and then won it through hardworking Peter Vincenti’s goal 6 minutes before the end. Vincenti has never been top of GW’s list of midfielders and the arrival of Murphy and form of Bostwick and Bridges I expected him to be on his way this month but good form in the reserves and HSC has given PV another chance to impress GW.

Defensively we look so much stronger at the back with Albrighton and Roberts showing a good partnership. I wasn’t the biggest fan of Albrighton when he first came here but since Ronnie Henry’s surprising and successful move to right back him and Roberts have prospered and look set to continue that partnership for the rest of the season. With the midfield looking stronger with Bridges and Bostwick my preferred two, surely  time has to be almost up for Gary Mills who for me has never looked comfortable and with Murphy and Vincenti impressing I cannot see why Westley could seriously choose him even on the bench ahead of them. With McMahon going earlier this month and John Martin still a possibility to go I was unsure whether we would have enough creativity in midfield but Andy Drury and David Bridges in my opinion have settled in very well with a good run of games and I hope that continues.

Boylans injury doesn’t seem to be looking too good after the ridiculous tackle by Barrow’s midfielder Bond couple of weeks ago. With Willock as backup GW has still decided to use Mitchell Cole up front alongside Morison which I have always thought Cole should be considered up front more regularly when Boylan was injured earlier in the season. With January coming to a close I am expected a couple of loan signings to complete the squad and with Luke Oliver joining Wycombe John Ashton would be perfect to replace him as cash strapped Grays look keen to sell. It won’t be easy for Ashton if he did join with form of Roberts and Albrighton but as he showed at BHW earlier this season he is as good as they get in the Blue Square Premier.

An exciting 3 months left of the season could bring anything up especially in the playoffs situation with 8 or 9 teams realistically pushing to be at Wembley come May. I may be a difficult 15 games but winning most and hoping some other teams do us some favours we do have a chance of being in the mix.

Lopo

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Oliver leaves to join PT at Wycombe

January 29, 2009 Leave a Comment

It is certainly one of the more stranger transfers that will happen this January, but Luke Oliver today completed a switch to League 2 leaders Wycombe Wanderers, the club he was released from 5 years ago. Oliver, who Graham Westley signed from Yeovil Town just under 3 years ago, has joined up again with ex Boro manager Peter Taylor as Mike Williamson’s replacement after he moved to Watford earlier in the week. Taylor is hoping Oliver can fill the void left by Williamson and help guide Wanderers to promotion.

“People know I had a short spell in charge at Stevenage and Luke was the centre back at the time. I knew he was out of contract this summer and I probably would of moved for him then, but because of Mike moving to Watford I decided to do it now. He is a big, commanding centre-half who can help us. He could turn into a very good centre-back.” Peter Taylor on Oliver

It’s an interesting move as Oliver never seemed to be a regular under Taylor when he was here with the ex England boss opting to use Westwood and Henry as his prefered defensive pairing for much of his tenure. I never rated Oliver when he was here. He was too mistake prone and it’s no coinicidence that our form has improved recently with him out of the side. We are much more secure defensively when Oliver doesn’t play and I can’t see the move doing Wycombe any favours as they push for promotion from League 2. I don’t get how a player who can’t get into a mid-table Blue Square Premier side can move to the leaders of League 2 as the replacement for their best defender?

What this transfer does do is release some money for Graham Westley to add to his squad and another defender now looks highly likely. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Jon Ashton make the move to Broadhall Way from Grays in the next week or so. Westley is a keen admirer of the former Rushden man and Grays are known to be in a lot of financial problems. Ashton would be available at a small price and with Oliver now off the wage bill then a move could be imminent?

Check back here tomorrow for Lopo’s view and the review of the season so far…

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Boro up to third as they record their 4th straight win

January 28, 2009 Leave a Comment

It wasn’t the greatest of performances at Broadhall Way, but Graham Westley’s Stevenage side dug deep tonight to beat Kettering Town by 2 goals to 1. It shows how much the team has improved in recent months as I’m sure back in November, Boro would of lost this type of game tonight. Kettering were as expected, physical and well organised and their two centre halves of Dempster and Geohaghan were keeping the deadly duo of Steve Morison and Mitchell Cole quiet. Going forward, Jason Lee led the line with Craig Westcarr offering a threat from out wide. Boro made one change from the team that won 4-2 away at Salisbury at the weekend with Lawrie Wilson returning to the side on the right wing replacing Mark Albrighton. Michael Bostwick dropped back to defence with Darren Murphy partnering David Bridges in midfield.

In what was a dull first half, both sides had few chances. The best Boro had to offer was a header from Bridges from a Cole cross and a long range effort from Darren Murphy which crashed off the crossbar. Craig Westcarr had Kettering’s best effort, but his free-kick was not good enough to beat Day. Both sides struggled to play any sort of football on a poor Broadhall Way pitch. It’s the worst state I’ve seen it in for some time. I can’t imagine it being any better for when Burton visit on Saturday in the FA Trophy.

Kettering went in front on the stroke of half-time after a lack of communication between Bostwick and Day allowed Seddon to cross and after Westcarr mis-cued, Jason Lee hammered in the opener. It was a sloppy goal to concede and would of disappointed Westley as Boro had looked reasonably comfortable at the back until then. Boro needed an early goal to get them back in it after half-time and they got it when Irishman Darren Murphy headed home 5 minutes in to the second half. It gave everyone in the ground a boost and Boro controlled the game from then on.

Kettering were mostly reduced to long range attempts and Westcarr again tried his luck, but Day kept it out at the second attempt. Boro also had efforts on goal with Morison and Murphy going close. The game looked to be petering out for a draw until a Mitchell Cole cross found substitute Peter Vincenti who was allowed far too much time on the ball to turn and shoot past Harper who was beaten on his near post. BHW erupted. Vincenti has again proved he is a vital member of the Boro squad and has chipped in with what could be some very important goals come the end of the season. 

The win keeps Boro in third place in the Blue Square Premier table, although the teams around us still have several games in hand to pick up the points they need to overtake us again. I’d say realistically we are still 8th-10th place in the league, but if we continue our unbeaten run then the play-offs look a realistic possibility by the time April comes around. There’s 15 games left. How many points can we win?

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Salisbury Preview plus progress in Senior Cup

January 22, 2009 Leave a Comment

After an unbeaten run which extended to 10 games thanks to the 3-0 win over Barrow and progression into the semi-final of the Herts Senior Cup, Boro make a trip to Wiltshire to face Salisbury City. Boro are one of the form teams of the league, while City are struggling at the other end of the BSP table and have yet to score, let alone win in 2009. Their last 3 games have ended in defeat against Oxford, Burton and lastly Kettering after a 97th minute winner for the Poppies. After a bright start to the season, financial problems hit the Whites and star players such as Matt Tubbs, Liam Feeney and Andy Sandell have departed the club for League clubs. Since then the team has struggled to recover and find themselves facing a relegation scrap in the coming months.

Last season we played Salisbury 4 times, after drawing them in the FA Cup qualifying round. Our last game against them ended in defeat thanks to a late Matt Tubbs strike at the Raymond McEnhill Stadium. At Broadhall Way, Salisbury lost 3-1 in what was a confortable afternoon for Boro. The two FA Cup games were quite dull affairs and around the time when Mark Stimson left the club. A Mark Molesley goal was enough to send Boro through to the next round. City also lost in the FA Trophy quarter final at BHW 3-0. Earlier this season, Boro won again at Broadhall Way with a 2-0 victory. Goals from Mark Albrighton and Steve Morison secured a comfortable victory for Graham Westley’s side.

With Boro currently in the form that they are in then winning at Salisbury is very possible. Salisbury are struggling to score goals and with Steve Morison in the form of his life, I’m confident we can score at least 1 on Saturday afternoon. During this run, our defence has also began to steady itself after a patchy first half of the season. Albrighton and Roberts are looking very solid and should continue at the back. Ronnie Henry will keep his place at right back, while Scott Laird will again play at left back. With Lee Boylan possibly out until March, then either Callum Willock or Peter Vincenti will partner Steve Morison up front. Vincenti fired in 4 goals in yesterday’s 5-1 reserve victory over Southend United and is pushing GW for a start.

Prediction: Salisbury 0-2 Boro

Stevenage also progressed into the semi-final of the Herts Senior Cup after a 4-2 victory at home to Hertford Town. Dave Hunt gave the visitors the lead after half hour with a close range effort. Jerome Anderson equalised within 10 minutes from the penalty spot. That’s how it stayed for the rest of the game. Extra time was played and Boro went in front thanks to a Luke Oliver strike. Anderson extended the lead before Owen Beale pulled one back for the visitors. Vincenti added a fourth for Boro to seal the victory and put Boro into the semi-final.

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Unbeaten run continues

January 19, 2009 Leave a Comment

It was another comfortable home victory for Boro on Saturday as they completed the double over Barrow. Goals from David Bridges and another two from Steve Morison gave Graham Westley’s side all 3 points and moved them up to 7th in the Blue Square Premier table. It extends Boro’s run in all competitions to 10 games now without defeat. Graham Westley again decided to stick with the same side that has done well in recent weeks. It definately shows that showing consistency in a team selection can have its rewards. Boro have had two good spells of form so far this season and both times the team has been unchanged from one game to the next.

Boro were frustrated for much of the first half and missed several chances before taking the lead 5 minutes before half-time thanks to David Bridges. Barrow were down to 10 men by this point after Andy Bond was sent off after a horrific tackle which led to Lee Boylan being stretchered off and replaced by Callum Willock. Mitchell Cole did well before crossing for Bridges who headed home. It was a big relief for Boro who had dominated the game.

That goal seemed to kill off Barrow’s challenge, who had simply came looking for a point. Graham Westley would of told his side to try and get an early goal in the second half and that’s exactly what they did when Steve Morison headed in his 18th league goal of the season. Mark Roberts had got up well following an Andy Drury corner and flicked it on for Morison to arrive at the far post. Just minutes later, Morison scored again to make it 3-0. This time it was a volley after the Barrow keeper had initially saved Drury’s free-kick.

At the moment Morison is scoring with everything he touches and another brace this weekend would of done no harm to his transfer value with several League 1 & 2 clubs still interested in making Morison theirs this January. Boro were still making chances after the third had gone in and then Barrow went down to 9 men after Steve McNulty was sent off after hauling down Morison. Arguably Boro should of won by more after this with chances being wasted by Cole and substitute Jerome Anderson. However, there can be no complaints at another convincing win. There is still a lot to do if Boro are to reach the play-offs, but things are beginning to move in the right direction.

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Morison latest plus news of loan deals

January 16, 2009 Leave a Comment

Millwall have denied reports that they are close to signing Steve Morison. Reports had linked the South London club with a £200k move for the Blue Square Premier top scorer, but boss Kenny Jackett has moved to quash these rumours. Jackett more or less repeated what GW said in an interview to the Comet a few days ago regarding Morison’s future. It seems that interest has been shown and enquiries have been made as to what price Boro would be looking to receive for their prized asset, but no firm bid has been made. At the moment our asking price is putting a lot of clubs off and in the current climate, clubs are less prepared to take a risk than maybe they were 18 months to 2 years ago.

“We have asked about the price a few weeks ago – not a matter of days. I always ask about players and this is just one of those occasions. Often it comes to nothing. We have not put in a formal bid. Stevenage are looking for a considerable offer because of the disruption to their season if he leaves would be high.” Kenny Jackett on the “bid” for Morison

I think it’s good that the club is obviously in the position to say no if the price isn’t right. Not every club, even in the football league, can afford such a luxury. Losing Morison would affect our season in a big way because he is our captain, at the moment and of course the amount of goals we would lose would be significant. I’m not even sure that we could replace Moro if he was to go now because players of the required quality will already be in contracts and unavailable for transfer. He would need to be replaced too because a strikeforce of Boylan and Willock doesn’t sound the most lethal of partnerships in the league. I still think Westley may add another striker in the next few weeks anyway, either on loan or on a short term contract to cover us for the run-in.

Away from the Morison situation and it has been confirmed on the Comet podcast that a few players have left the club this week on loan deals. Peter Vincenti has left for Halesowen Town, while James Russell has extended his deal with Hitchin Town and Elliot Buchanan has joined Concord Sports. Vincenti has moved down the pecking order in recent weeks with David Bridges returning after injury and the new signing of Darren Murphy. I hope it isn’t the last we see of him, but as I said before, he is never going to be a regular at BHW so maybe it makes sense for him to play his football elsewhere.

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