People have said that the road ahead would be hard, but I don’t think any Wealdstone fan in their right mind would be sitting here after 8 games and thinking we would be without a win.
After a few fruitful seasons, where a defeat was a rare thing, the past few weeks have been challenging. From having a winning team to a one that loses, is sometimes hard to take or understand. Ultimately questions must be asked and changes made to keep the club going forwards and not backwards.
So far this season I’ve seen over six forwards used in our Conference South games. Using so many strikers even with injury brings inconsistency and does not help the team to gel. Trying to have a settled three or four strikers and having the odd one if we have a long term injury is what is needed. The more players that are used, the more fragmented the squad becomes and it doesn’t take a genius to work out what the end result is at the end of the season.
Trying to bridge gaps after players have gone is vital to move forward, but the loss of Tom Pett to Stevenage in the off season, has been a big loss to our attacking play. From an exciting, creative team in previous years, a more direct middle game is being deployed without much effect. In the games I’ve witnessed this season, the lack of width and a regular striker has led to us not taking vital chances when they arrive.
Questions on the terrace during the game against Bath city were being asked, including whether we signed the right players during the off season? From what I’ve seen so far, it is evident the answer is no.
The team was strong last season, but the loss of important players left a void. The manager Gordon Bartlett tried to bring in players who knew this division. While experience of the league is needed, the players and the team combined have not risen to the challenge. At present it’s hard to see us rising from the bottom of the table because it is unclear how long the team will take to gel and get that all important first win.
If we look back to pre season, most of our fans would probably have set mid table as where they expected to finish this year. A challenge to stay up, make sure we are clear of a relegation battle and then build year on year. Sitting here in early September, the expectation is still within sight, if we can put a few wins together.
There are still over 35 games to go this season, so we as fans shouldn’t be too disappointed as long as we can turn it around. If we are sitting in the same position in January, we may need to sit down and look again at our expectations. From what I’ve heard from the terrace most people just want us to sign an out and out striker, one of those players that will get you 10-20 goals per season. The only problem with trying to get one of those players is that they don’t come cheap, so do we break the bank to buy a striker or stay within our means?
The road ahead will pose many challenges, but as a club that has always dealt with challenges and came out on top, trying to stay up in this division is one I hope that we manage to overcome.
If the first 8 games have been about finding our feet in the division, the next 30 or so will be about showing the league what made us champions last year and rising to the challenge of competing in a higher league.
Follow Craig on Twitter @craigw87
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