Boro add Beardsley

Stevenage manager Graham Westley has added Chris Beardsley to his striking options for next season with the former Kettering, Rushden and Mansfield forward joining the club on a one year deal. It follows the club’s decision to release Callum Willock last week after 18 months at Broadhall Way. Boro currently have 4 strikers signed up for next season and I expect GW to announce maybe one more before the transfer window shuts. 

Bringing in proven strikers must have been at the top of Westley’s priority list when last season ended, knowing that Steve Morison would be departing the club for a chance to play in the football league. With Willock being allowed to leave as well, Stevenage’s front line will look very different next season. Lee Boylan will be the only striker remaining at the club that started last season. Charlie Griffin, Yemi Odubade and now Chris Beardsley have joined him in recent weeks.

As for Beardsley his goalscoring record isn’t that impressive at this level, nor is it in the football league. I seem to remember him at Mansfield alongside Iyseden Christie at one point and since his days at Field Mill, he has played around the Blue Square Premier with clubs like York, Kettering and Rushden, where he previously worked under Westley. I don’t think he is going to be a predator by any means, but he could be a player that links the play and helps a quicker striker like Boylan or Yemi to score more goals. If he does that then he is as important as a 30 goal a season player. 

I think the in’s/out’s so far this summer indicate that GW is to play a more direct game next season rather than on the floor, pretty football. The departure of McMahon last season and Martin and Mills this summer indicate that Westley is definitely getting rid of the ‘ball’ players in his squad and opting to sign more physical players. 

The signings of Beardsley and Griffin who are more target men than anything else also show that the football next year will be to try and get it up directly to the target men and use the pace of Yemi and Cole to get in behind teams. To be honest, I think a physical, quick tempo game is the way to get out of this division. I don’t think you can afford to play on the floor football every game at this level and I think that’s where we went wrong at the beginning of last season as there was too much emphasis on the style of play rather than the results. 

Stevenage also confirmed the departure of youngsters George Brinkman, Zak Burke, Liam McDevitt and Elliot Buchanan. I’m surprised that these players have been released to be honest as I’ve been fairly impressed with Burke and Brinkman when I’ve seen them. As for McDevitt, I would of thought he would have been the one that could of made the step up to first team level out of all of them. In last season’s pre-season friendly against Gillingham he looked very accomplished against football league strikers and has been in and around the first team squad for about 2 years now. 

It was difficult to let these kids go but the gap from where they’re at and what we need to compete for promotion is just huge. Graham and his management team have had a good look during last season, but none of the lads have a chance of making it into Boros squad next season so it’s best to let them move on lower down, get regular first team games somewhere and develop in their own time” Wallace on releasing the youth players

I understand Wallace and Westley’s reasoning that there is a big gap between the youth players and first team, but that’s the club’s fault because of their youth policy. Not enough players are making the step up to first team level from our youth teams. I can only remember one in recent years, but others have come and gone when a lot was promised. Hopefully that will change in the years to come as it will be good for the club to have more players coming through the system for both on and off the pitch reasons. 

Oh and we have got Woking in a pre-season friendly on the 1^st August.