Our first 6 fixtures

After the fantastic start we made to last season, I suppose the squad have a hard act to follow during August. However, it's worth recalling that most of those clubs we faced in that 100% start did not perform strongly over the season. Here are their final positions...

Wealdstone 13th
Basingstoke 22nd
Whitehawk 5th
Maidenhead 7th
St Albans 18th
Havant 20th

So while a good start is always welcome, it can be misleading if the opponents are modest. Out of interest, here's the final positions for our first 6 opponents this time...

Margate 19th
Weston 16th
St Albans 18th
Truro 4th
Bish Stort 11th
E Thurrock promoted through play offs

Although squads change a lot from season to season, the fixtures secretary seems to have dealt us a fair hand. Is 12 points from those 6 too optimistic?

I would be happy with 9 points. Our blistering start did us no good at all last season and masked some serious deficiencies.

I think the defence is as solid as it has been for many a season but more work needs to be done with our attack. They are not the finished article and if we got a few points while things are bedding in that would be fine by me.

As has been said on the other thread at last we have options and not more of the same.

I think 12 is definitely possible - the three home games are all winnable, and we should be able to get at least 3 points from the away games (getting them tomorrow would be nice!).

Margate a W 2-0
WESTON SUPER MARE h W 3-0
ST ALBANS CITY h W 3-0
Truro City a D 0-0
Bishop's Stortford a W 2-0
EAST THURROCK UNITED h W 3-0

An optimistic total of 16 / 18  

We needed those 18 desperately before the end of the season, so however misleading they may have been I welcomed them.

the demon headmaster wrote:We needed those 18 desperately before the end of the season, so however misleading they may have been I welcomed them.

Yes good point.

I meant that we would have been better off picking up points regularly throughout the season. Going on long winless runs destroys team spirit.

Weston will have Tom Meechan a striker on a six month loan from Newport in their squad tonight. Playing at Southern Premier level and below in East Anglia he scored 74 league and cup goals in 2 seasons, so Newport took a chance on him (hoping to unearth another Conor Washington) and signed him in February. Has only played 3 league matches for Newport and has fallen down the striker pecking order following recent signings.

Man Mountain had him on toast.

LB wrote:I think 12 is definitely possible - the three home games are all winnable, and we should be able to get at least 3 points from the away games (getting them tomorrow would be nice!).

I told you so! Although we didn't quite get them the way I had expected.