The squad - a week to go

Here we are then, a week away from the start of the season and we are more or less there on assembling a squad to take us through the next 46 League fixtures. Players have departed, new ones have come in. The question remains do we have the talent to do well this season?

We start our campaign with an injury crises. Hawkes, Sam Taylor and re-signed Declan Drysdale are all reported to be absent for the next couple of months. Added to this Jordan Turnbull is also doubtful for our opening fixture. One of the problems with a squad of 24 players is that injuries become more difficult to accommodate. There are, of course a number of players who can play in different roles.  Chris Merrie can fill in defensively, for example, albeit his best position is probably as a defensive midfielder. Lee O'Connor can similarly play further up the pitch rather than in a defensive role and loan signing Zak Bradshaw can play in a number of positions across the back. An early injury pile up presents additional problems though, it means that absent players will take longer to settle in once they recover and maybe they will find it hard to get back into the team. It all depends on how well the squad settles and what new injuries occur. Let's hope Norris stays injury free and that Brad Walker can have a longer period without missing games.

Defensively we look OK, but not spectacular Tom Davies should continue to be the rock around which central defence is built. Norman looks like a useful addition to the squad and preseason has got forward well, showing that he can score. Connor Woods also looks to have had a good pre-season. He got better across the campaign last year and hopefully he will continue on the upward trajectory. I was also quite surprised that we managed to retain Lee O'Connor. Whether or not he is used as a defender remains to be seen, there is some indication that he may be played further foewrd this season. He remains one of the more cultured players in the squad.

Midfiield also looks pretty reasonable although the absence of a pace, particularly given Hawkes being out, may prove to be problematic. Hendry should continue to be one of the first names on the team sheet, his performances on occasion were outstanding. You would hope that he could find a bit more consistency in the coming season. This will also be an important campaign for Kieron Morris. Injury hampered his performance last season but when he plays well he can be outstanding. I am still not convinced he is best out wide, and wonder if he would be better played centrally just behind an attacking pair of forwards. However, that seems to be the role assigned to Connor Jennings. It would be a brave decision to drop Jennings in favour of Morris, last season Connor was often the beating heart of the team and his industriousness was often at the heart of some of our better moves.

Then there is the forward line. Harvey Saunders was rewarded with a new contract. Much will be expected from him. He and Solomon offer pace, can they be utilised alongside Norris or Dennis? The recent confirmation that Omari Patrick has signed for 12 months also gives us the opportunity to see whether he can link up with Kris Dennis and help him recapture his goal scoring success at Carlisle. The big absence will be Rob Apter who's contribution last season was phenomenal. Whilst some supporters still hope Apter will return on loan there is no indication that this is anything other than wishful thinking. 

Preseason doesn't really tell,us a great deal. The real test starts on 10th August. Let's hope that the club have assembled a squad that pleases the eye, wins games and delivers promotion.