Byron Harrison arrived on New Year’s day in time for the trip to Gillingham. I thought he might be a member of the youth system until his name was announced and a quick google later made me realise that he in fact was a former Carshalton and Ashford Town forward who had been fairly prolific in the lower leagues. He did ok against Gillingham, but was starved of service and looked a bit raw. I would certainly like to see him get a bit more of a chance though.

First out the door was Lee Boylan. It’s been a frustrating year or so for Lee with injuries limiting his first team opportunities. It’s a problem that has pretty much hampered his career. During his first season he managed to stay fit and went on to score 14 goals. He was seemingly the man to play up with Morison, but this season in particular Boylan has struggled with injuries, making his release unsurprising when it was finally announced.

Second to go was Peter Vincenti, again no real surprise after he was loaned out to Mansfield earlier this season, but I think PV had a bit more to offer despite not being technically not as good as other players in the squad. Tim Sills was also released after returning from Rushden. I was a fan of Sills despite some of his critics. He seemed to have a bit more to offer than some other strikers in the squad, especially as a target man, which you would have suited Westley’s style of play. With him and Vincenti joining league 2 rivals Aldershot, let’s hope they don’t come back to haunt us!

One other player who left the club earlier this month was Terry Dixon. It seemed like the club and Dixon couldn’t agree terms. Maybe being a talented youngster playing for Spurs and West Ham didn’t help Dixon when injury hit him. This is just an impression I get when speaking to other people who know more about him than me. You hear good things about his ability, but when he joined he was clearly overweight. He worked hard to appear a couple of times albeit for limited minutes.

I wish all these players the best in the future, but now on to the who we might sign or won’t sign or simply who we’ve just been linked with!

Plenty of names have been thrown about and I will choose a few and look at their pros and cons etc.

Shaun Harrad
After refusing to sign a new contract at Burton, with his current deal running out in the summer, it looks like Harrad is on the move whether it be January or in the summer. He is a player who always seems to score and play well. However, is he a realistic signing for us? Joining Boro wouldn’t necessarily be a big step up, but I haven’t heard that he has been linked with any other teams so maybe for the right price it could be a possibility.

Danny Kedwell
Highly rated forward in the Conference and I’m sure he will be linked to more clubs as the month goes on. Is he better than we have already got though?

Michael Rankine
Currently at York City. Westley had Rankine during his time at Rushden & Diamonds. He’s a tall and physical striker that I think would do well at Stevenage. He isn’t a prolific goalscorer, but is a player that will put in 100% and work the channels. I do think we have too many strikers like him though in Beardsley and Griffin.

Chris Holroyd
During his earlier loan spell I quite liked Holroyd. He seemed like a bit of a goal predator which is what we need, however Brighton took him back and a couple of sub appearances is as far as it’s got since his return to the Withdean. With his contract running out in the summer there could be a deal made, but I personally can’t see it as much as I would like to.

Kevin Phillips
The least likely to sign, but stranger things have happened. He has confirmed he wants to leave Birmingham and his goal scoring record is there for all to see. High wage demands and a potential move to Celtic are most likely to scupper any deal but veteran striker might fancy a deal a bit closer to ‘home’.

Stevenage’s 3-1 victory over Newcastle United at the weekend may have shocked the nation, but those who have followed the club over the last few years will tell you that they were not surprised to see a Premier League side turned over at fortress Broadhall Way.

The club have come a long way since the name of ‘Stevenage Borough’ was first thrown into the limelight. The FA Cup runs of the late 90′s and the two games against Newcastle in 1998 were what stuck in people’s mind when reminded of the little non-league side from Hertfordshire. Last season changed that. Graham Westley took over the club for a second time in 2008 and steered the club to the Conference title in his second season back at the helm. Football League status was achieved, 14 years after being denied due to an inadequate stadium.

Westley has built a strong, physical side that has adapted well to their first season in League 2. The team is comfortably in mid-table and with a couple of astute signings in January, a play-off push may not be out of the question. The main focus this season has been surviving in the League and as a result the FA Cup has taken a back seat. Unlike previous years, the club didn’t have to go through any qualifying stages and were put straight through to the round 1. 

MK Dons were Boro’s opponents in the first round. An uneventful draw at Stevenage meant a replay at stadium:mk. It was at this point that the prospect of AFC Wimbledon meeting MK Dons in the 2nd round was looking like a real possibilty. Boro were 1-0 down for a large period of the replay and were seconds away from going out until Darius Charles grabbed a last minute equaliser to take the game to extra time and penalties. A mammoth shoot-out followed and a Matias Doumbe miss meant that it would be Boro who would face the Wombles, ruining ITV’s plans for a Wimbledon reunion.

Stevenage overcame Conference leaders AFC Wimbledon with a professional display at Kingsmeadow. The 2-0 win meant that Boro were safely into the velvet bag for the 3rd round draw, where they drew Newcastle United, 13 years since that infamous tie that captured the nation. The build up for the game had a very different feel. After the media circus in 1998, there was very little this time around. A much more professional approach by both clubs.

Even the walk to the ground was more low key. I remember my Dad really struggling to get a parking space anywhere near the ground in 98, but I got parked easily in my usual space on Saturday, with my Dad in the passenger seat. There were not the big queues on Broadhall Way, nor the market traders with their trolleys of half and half scarves and flags made specifically for the game.

Stevenage started the game nervously, but their Premier League opponents failed to stamp their authority on the game. Gradually, the home side began to come into the game more and more. Chances were being created and when the half time whistle blew, it was Boro who found themselves unfortunate not to be ahead. Boro started the second half strongly and took the lead when Stacy Long’s shot deflected in off Mike Williamson. It was 2-0 just 5 minutes later as Michael Bostwick took full advantage of being given space at the edge of the box to fire in the second.

Joey Barton grabbed a goal back in the 90th minute to threaten a nervy finish, but Boro killed the game off when Peter Winn slotted in a third in injury time. The victory was complete, but it didn’t have that same sense of achievement that the draw in 1998 did. The class of 98 were part-time footballers playing for a mid-table non-league side. Anything less than a 5-0 defeat would have been treated as a success back then. The same for the now professional 2011 side would have been seen as a disappointment. 

I suppose that Stevenage should take that as a compliment. It shows just how far they have come in a relatively short space of time. Competing against the likes of Portsmouth, Newcastle and Reading has become the norm this season and will do for many years to come. They are no longer recognised as the minnows of the FA Cup. They are an ambitious club that continues to push in the right direction. You will hear more from Stevenage in the future, but it won’t be a shock.

That’s not a bad stat considering the town only has a population of approximately 90,000, compared with the 51 million people of England.

It seems that Football is not the only sport thriving with talent from Stevenage. Of course, the most obvious example is Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton, but others like Golfer Ian Poulter and Birmingham City footballer Kevin Phillips are also at the top of their respective sports.

This got me thinking. Why have Stevenage never been able to bring through any talent themselves when it is obviously out there? Will that change now the club has reached the football league?

I think the club’s youth system has always been pretty poor. When I first started watching Stevenage back in 1994, I remember the EFCO scheme. It was ok, it brought through a couple of players that made a handful of first team appearances, but on the whole it failed. These players would come on in a couple of games, look out of their depth and then eventually get released ending up at Hitchin, Arlesey or Boreham Wood.

The club has never really brought through any top class talent that could compete for a first team place at Boro or go on to play at a higher level. That said George Boyd came through the scheme after Boro picked him up after his release as a trainee at Charlton. Of course, we all know that he has gone on and become a success in the Football League.

I don’t know if it’s different now with the new Centre of Excellence installed over the summer, but I never got the feeling that Stevenage were out there to spot talent from the local area and try to bring players through themselves. I always thought that they were happy to wait for players to be released by League clubs and then bring them in after. It’s like they were resigned to the young players wanting to go to the “bigger” local clubs instead of sign for Boro.

When I played youth football in the Royston Crow League, I was aware of scouts from Watford, Luton and Norwich, but Stevenage never came to mind. I was aware of its EFCO scheme, but I don’t think the club ever had youth sides going from Under 11′s upwards like Barnet, Luton and Watford did. Maybe the fact that the club couldn’t offer a Football League environment was the reason that many good, young players from Stevenage and the surrounding areas opted to go to Watford or Luton instead?

Now we are a football league club, the appeal of signing for Stevenage will increase. I think being a league club will instantly bring a better quality of player into the club’s radar. Also, the fact that Luton are now no longer in the league may also assist Boro in trying to attract the local talent. The club have made the initial steps of setting up a centre of excellence and the trials in the summer yielded 8 new scholars that now have their chance to become professional footballers. Hopefully it’s just the start of a prosperous new era for the standard of youth players coming through the system at the club.

This time there was no rejection as the ground met Football League standards and the club seemed ready for the big time. Last season Stevenage went up breaking records on the way. With the current team spirit at the club, it wouldn’t surprise me to see us do well again this term.

The club changed their name back to Stevenage Football Club from Stevenage Borough back in the summer. Wallace has always been looking to change the name and going up seemed to bring this on. I’m not overly bothered personally, but I did like having Borough as it was unique (ish). Wallace said it was down to marketing the club which is fair enough. I just hope the council are still on our side if and when we need them.

In my opinion last season’s squad, as a whole, contributed towards our title win. There was no real stand out star, like in previous years with the likes of Barry Hayles and Steve Morison, who were all the media could talk about when Stevenage popped up. Having our top goalscorer score just 16 goals in all competitions shows how the whole squad contributed towards our success.

After a disappointing Trophy final defeat at Wembley it was a matter of playing the guessing game of who stays and who goes from the squad. There were some surprises such as Andy Drury opting to join Luton. A player, who before Stevenage had done little in his career. He had a chance in the Football League this season, but then blew it by joining non league Luton Town. That surprised me. That was until I heard the amount of money he was offered to join our neighbours. Whether he thought that the Football League might be a bit of a step up for him or whether money forced him to move, you have to think that this will backfire on him and he’ll end up nowhere before you know it.

Others to leave include Eddie Odhiambo and Mark Albrighton, unsurprising departures considering the little game time they both got last season. Both worked hard and were good backup players to have, but Newport and Kiddy have both picked up good players worthy of most BSP sides. Mitchell Cole, a player with so much talent, but little determination sums him up. He spends 20 minutes of a game on the floor and 60 minutes with his hands on his hips, but when Mitch is on fire then good luck to any right back up against him. Unfortunately his attitude means he’ll never play at the level he could potentially hit and when Westley offered him a new deal similar to a deal Michael Owen is on with appearance and contribution bonuses, he decided to join Oxford.

Coming in has been a mixture. Rob Sinclair or “Jesus” as he is known to some has done very well so far and looks a good replacement for Drury. Luke Foster has good experience and is a leader and again, so far, has done well despite being at fault for Macclesfield’s second goal on the opening day. I have seen little of John Mousinho due to injury, but comes with a good reputation and if Westley is right he may become a regular alongside Bostwick in midfield. Fierce competition from the likes of Byrom, Bridges and Murphy will certainly pressure him.

Darius Charles; I remember him playing against us at Stonebridge Road when we lost 4-0 and having a blinder at the back. Signing a defender from a relegated club is not always a good sign, but as backup I think he’ll do ok. Peter Winn, a player I knew little about before he joined, but someone Gateshead rated highly and during pre season he certainly filled the gap left by Mitchell Cole.

The frustrating thing about the summer is the lack of transfers up front, despite having 5 forwards in Charlie Griffin, Lee Boylan, Tim Sills, Chris Beardsley and Yemi Odubade, not having a forward who can consistently put the ball in the net is a real worry. This has been highlighted in the first 2 competitive games where we lacked composure up front. Chris Beardsley is a workhorse and will always give 100%, but the fact that he does not score enough goals does make you wonder whether his days are numbered at BHW. Lee Boylan is a good footballer, but unproven in the football league. Boylan was barely getting a game towards the end of last season and I for one expected him to go in the summer. Westley has given him a chance and it’s now make or break time for him to prove his worth.

Tim Sills is, in my opinion, the most underrated forward we have. Sillsy has found himself with little chance to prove what he can do even though he has only scored once since joining in January. I think he deserves a chance in the starting XI as he is a better target man than Beardsley or Griffin. Charlie Griffin had a good season last year all considering, chipping in with 14 goals and seems to be the most popular forward with Westley. I think the jury is still out for Charlie in the Football League, but got off to a good start against Macclesfield with a late equaliser. Don’t expect that every week though.

Yemi seemed to get better and better as the season went on last year, but this season is a big step up for him. I think he’ll do well, but may not score as many goals as the defences will be considerably better. He will still terrorise many defences with his pace and gave Martin Taylor a torrid time during pre season. I think we still need a “football league” striker. I liked the look of Chris Dickson and thought he could be a good choice, but it never looked likely to happen.

Two games in and apart from conceding from simple set pieces and crosses,I think we’re looking ok. I wouldn’t expect fireworks this year, but a steady mid-table season would suit me fine as we adapt to the higher level. Away to Bradford will be interesting as they are a big side in this division, who are expectant of promotion. It will be interesting to see how we get on as we are known to have struggled at bigger grounds in the past.

Macclesfield was a game the bookies had us down to win, but as any Boro fan knows we are slow starters and a draw in the circumstances wasn’t a bad result. Pompey was a good performance, but showed that we need a decent striker as Sonko and Wilson were mopping up any long ball up to Beardsley or Griffin.

All in all I’m looking forward to seeing how we get on this season, my expectations are not sky-high, but I certainly don’t want to be a non league side again!!

Come on Boro!

A lot of Germany’s good play goes through their midfield three of Sami Khedira, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Mesut Ozil. Khedira has been the anchor man in the midfield alongside the box to box style of Schweinsteiger, who has been arguably the player of the tournament. Ozil is the playmaker in this system and his movement and vision brings the wide players of Podolski and Muller into the game. Those two have been given a licence to roam while Klose will finish anything he is given in the box.  

The system the Germans play is a more rigid version of the 4-5-1/4-3-3 formation Boro used last season. Westley played Bostwick in the defensive midfield role last year and then rotated Bridges, Byrom, Long and Murphy in the 2 positions ahead of him. Boro would then play 3 in attack which were also rotated regularly. However, with the loss of Andy Drury and Mitchell Cole plus the signings of 3 midfield players Robbie Sinclair, Peter Winn and John Mousinho, it got me thinking whether Westley will adopt a different system going into the new season?  

The signing of Mousinho tells me that Westley may want to shape up more defensively this season. Mousinho’s signing certainly gives us that option and is a good move for Boro. He’s an experienced league player and was a key component for Peter Taylor’s promotion winning Wycombe side a couple of seasons ago. He hasn’t joined us to play a bit part role. He will be in and around the first team along with Michael Bostwick, who also signed a new contract. They are two players that if fit, will be in GW’s side.  

As they are both defensive minded players, Bostwick and Mousinho could play in those two positions in midfield behind a playmaker. It’s a position that would have been ideal for a Boyd, Miller or Drury and is one where I think Joel Byrom could make his own. He didn’t really shine in his first year at Stevenage, but improved as the season went on and would be a big asset in a free role behind the lone striker.

This formation would certainly suit the players we currently have at the club. The defence was very settled last season and that has been strengthened in the summer. Midfield is also looking healthy and while we may not have a “prolific” goalscorer in the style of a Klose, we have a number of strikers that all have different qualities. I would say Boylan is the most “natural” goalscorer in our squad at the moment. Beardsley’s work rate is a big asset, while Tim Sills’ intelligence on the pitch brings players into the game.

One of the reasons why Boro were successful last season is that they had a flexible squad that could cover for all situations. They had enough attacking talent to beat teams at home, but were also well organised away from Broadhall Way, where they could get a goal and then defend their lead. Westley would start with a 4-4-2 for example and then adapt it depending on how the game went. The flexibility of the squad was key and that will remain the case going into League 2.

With 3 games left no doubt the trip to Kiddy will hopefully be the highlight of the season and I hope we will take a big number to see the boys across the line. 2 years ago when Mr. Westley returned to BHW I was sceptical to say the least, however the squad he has assembled along with the financial support from Phil Wallace and the board has seen us come through a very tough division. I felt after losing to Cambridge in the playoffs last season that we were never going to get promoted, but to bounce back with teams such as Luton and Oxford giving us a fight and Rushden, York and AFC Wimbledon having impressive seasons makes winning it this season all the more special.

Our squad is full of talent, despite a few players who I personally don’t rate and I’m sure will not be here next season. I think that the squad we have is more than capable of being an established football league side as long as we keep onto our best players which we have struggled to do in the past. The likes of Michael Bostwick, Mark Roberts and Chris Day will all be essential to keep hold of as I don’t think we will find better replacements. Credit must also go to the backroom staff of Dino Maamria, John Dreyer and Graham Westley who have done extremely well to get us into the position we are in.

The player of the year award will be hotly contested this season with several players up for the award showing a good team effort opposed to a one man team that some clubs rely on year in year out. I personally think Ronnie Henry deserves the award simply because he has improved considerably since becoming a right back. Changing from one position to another is certainly not easy let alone to then become such an important player within the squad. Also, Ronnie is the longest serving player at the club and that is increasingly rare at this level. He deserves credit for that.

Other players in contention include Scott Laird, Michael Bostwick, Chris Day, Yemi Odubade amongst others. All these have made massive contributions and one who has made a massive improvement during the season is John Ashton who has become a top quality centre half after being a bit of a liability at times.

Any real Stevenage fan will feel so much relief if we do go on to get promoted and as Westley has said there is only one way to get promoted and that is as Champions! It has been one hell of a season and let’s not forget our third trip to Wembley on 8^th May. Exciting times to be a Boro fan.

Roll on the Football League and let’s get behind the boys for the rest of the season.

Lopo

Morison was signed by Mark Stimson just after the start of the 2006/2007 season. He joined after catching Stimson’s eye while playing for Bishop’s Stortford in the Blue Square South. His impact at Broadhall Way was immediate. He played up front on his own, with George Boyd playing just off him. The partnership just clicked. Boyd enjoyed his new role in an attacking midfield position whilst Morison was pouncing on any chance that came his way. Stevenage had the best strike force in the league. Morison scored 76 goals in 142 appearances in his time at Boro and is seen as one of the best players to have ever graced the Broadhall Way turf.

After months of speculation about his future, Morison finally left Boro for Millwall days after captaining the side to another FA Trophy triumph. Morison had been the captain of the team for the majority of the season, with Westley later saying that he was the only one who wanted the job at the time. After a poor start to the 2008/2009 season, GW said that there was a ‘split’ dressing room and that it was quite hostile at times. Not a nice place to be. Fair play though to Morison for stepping up to the extra responsibility. Although, he wasn’t one of the best captain’s that Boro have ever had, he did the job he was asked to do and was instrumental in the teams push for the play-offs in the second half of the season.

So what are we missing? Well it isn’t his goals. Stevenage have scored 6 more goals after 24 games this season than at the same stage last season. Although, I don’t think that is the whole story. While the stats will say that the team is better going forward this season, the goals have been shared out more throughout the team rather than relying on the one man.  It’s also worth noting that Boro are a much improved side this year and more chances have been created in the opening half of this season than at the same stage last season. Our problem this season is not being clinical enough in front of goal and maybe if we still had Morison in the side now, we would be closer to Oxford or even above them?

However, in my opinion I think the team has improved as a whole since Morison’s departure. Last season, Boro were a bit one dimensional. Morison was the target man and the player that all of Boro’s attacks went through. Westley’s team was built around his star striker, he was the first name on the teamsheet. However, if he was injured or marked out of the game then Boro would usually struggle. That was evident in the opening weeks of the season when Morison was suspended after being sent off at Wrexham. Boro failed to win any of the games he missed. This season we are not reliant on one man. We are more of a squad and I think that is one of the reasons why we are where we are now. GW can now chop and change his team how he sees fit and it seems to be working.

Overall, I think that Morison’s move to Millwall has suited everyone. Moro got his well deserved move into the football league after 3 fantastic seasons at Broadhall Way and is now beginning to show his supporters at the New Den why Kenny Jackett spent £160k on him. Meanwhile for Boro, Morison’s departure has allowed the team to move to the next level. Boro are a better team without him. No one player has stood out this season so far because all 11 players are working hard in each and every game and it is getting results. Graham Westley has adapted the way the team plays to compensate for the loss of Morison and as a whole it looks more solid and balanced. Hopefully it will continue going into 2010.

We finished last season well with a long unbeaten run and another Trophy win. However the 4^th May 2009 will not be a day to remember as we surrendered a 3-1 lead at The Abbey. I went into that game feeling confident that we would go there and get to Wembley however tactically we got it wrong and paid the price for missed chances, poor refereeing decisions and generally just poor tactics. 

My wounds were healed slightly by winning the FA Trophy again against York but it was a comfortable game for us and we deserved to win. The victory also saw Steve Morison play his last game for us and he went out in style scoring the opening goal and being given the man of the match. It wasn’t my personal choice as I felt Ronnie Henry was brilliant at right back and Andy Drury played very well in the whole just behind Moro and Boylan. 

With Morison’s departure a replacement was never going to be easy to find, however Graham Westley swooped to sign Charlie Griffin from Salisbury who scored 21 league goals last season. When he first arrived I was unsure, but I kept being reminded of 21 league goals he scored in a team worse than our own! So far Griffin hasn’t quite lived up to our expectations however I’m sure there is more to come. 

Joel Byrom’s arrival for £15k was seemingly a good deal as he was very highly rated by Northwich fans and I think, potentially, he could be a good player for us. He was brought in along with Stacy Long as a replacement for the outgoing Gary Mills who decided Mansfield was a bigger club for him to move to! Byrom’s red card against Tamworth was a bit stupid but he is still young and I am confident he will find his feet soon. Yemi Odubade is without doubt an impact player with electric pace. It’s enough to give defenders at any level nightmares, but hasn’t been given much of a chance so far with just a couple of substitute appearances and a tap in at Oxford on Saturday to his name. 

Stacy Long was, in my opinion the best signing of the summer, however so far Westley hasn’t quite found him a place in the side with Mitchell Cole continuing on the left. It’s a real shame as I feel Long is a very good player and hopefully he will be given an opportunity to find his feet and kick on. Chris Beardsley was the final signing of the summer and one that I was slightly unsure of initially, but after seeing him against albeit a poor Ebbsfleet team I felt he offered a bit more than Griffin and deserved his goal too. 

This season so far has shown players in a different light such as Lawrie Wilson picking up some good form and looking twice the player he was last term. The start of the season has also highlighted a few worries about a couple of our other players. Darren Murphy in my opinion has not improved enough and seems to lack pace and technical ability to cut it at this level. He is strong and gets stuck in, but sometimes that does lead to his downfall especially with poor officials blowing their whistle every 2 minutes! Some people have criticised John Ashton and in some ways I would agree, but I definitely prefer him at the back and Bostwick playing in midfield. I think the team is far more balanced when Bostwick is in the middle. 

The squad is generally in good shape, however it seems that “so near but yet so far” is our motto, especially after last season’s defeat in the play-offs. After Woking’s relegation to the Blue Square South last season, we are now officially the longest serving team in the Conference! That is something that will hopefully be changed soon by winning promotion to the football league. It’s going to be another long hard season ahead with inevitably more drama, but hopefully more success.

If you want to write your own column for Stevenage Borough then contact sgmboro@hotmail.co.uk for more details.

Defeat at Aggborough was a disappointment especially as we were 2-0 up before Darren Murphy’s red card which seemed to change the whole complexion of the game. Before that game we went 24 unbeaten which was a new club record and a  record to be proud of. We have looked a far better team since them terrible home games against Histon and Grays, where it felt like a chore to even turn up and watch!

Some spirited performances and good signings have given the club a huge lift. It’s a lift that we seem to keep using in our pursuit for play offs. Jon Ashton has settled in well, despite a couple of shaky performances. He seems to have cemented his first team place well ahead of Mark Albrighton. A lot of games have surpassed with Boro playing generally every 4 days and picking up good results in the process, However with such a tight table, poor early form could cost us dearly.

Away from the league, Boro once again find themselves at Wembley after beating Ebbsfleet in the semi final of the FA Trophy. I am very happy to be going to Wembley again. To win a domestic trophy that all non league clubs would love to get their hands on would be a big achievement. We have won every game in the FA Trophy this year and most of them have been comfortable wins against good, established teams such as Burton, Forest Green and Ebbsfleet.

Over the next month or so we have cup finals in every game we play. We are underdogs to reach the playoffs, but are far from out of it. As I write this we have games to come against Ebbsfleet and Crawley which are key as we then face our two major playoff threats, Torquay and Kidderminster. Despite injuries it was great to see John Martin back last Tuesday against Cambridge. He settled straight back in and for me was MOTM in the midfield. Gary Mills has impressed me in the two performances I saw him in against York and Cambridge. It pains me to say it after being Mills’ biggest critic during the season and I’m still not convinced he is good enough, but I hope the form he has produced recently continues.

With the player of the year award being given out at the weekend, I think there are many contenders to pick up the prize. Obviously Steve Morison’s goals have been important and great performances from Chris Day, Ronnie Henry, David Bridges and Michael Bostwick haven’t gone unnoticed either. New arrivals Mark Roberts and Andy Drury will also certainly be in with a shout.

There are some huge games coming up and a good support is key if the playoffs remain a possibility. Let’s hope we can help guide Boro to the football league and another FA Trophy.

Lopo

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 8^th and 11^th. 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