Pub Team to Manager’s Dream Part 34 – End of Season 4 Transfer Update

Last season we actually managed to hold on to the majority of our players during the transfer period for the first time, and we didn’t really lose a key player at all until further into the season. But can that particular feat repeat itself this season…

Well, to an extent, no.

Although the only two certain first team players that we lost were centre back Andy Hillman and left midfielder Jack Sheppard, other promising fringe players were lost and indeed these two first team players were rather key players.

Andy Hillman was a great centre back and was still just a teenager, which is obviously why he ended up moving to a much larger club to try and realise his potential and future in the game, and who can blame him for that at the end of the day. And Jack Sheppard ‘s situation was a similar one, but it does mean that we could, ideally, do with searching for players willing to fill in these gaps, whether we look to promote from within or have to look elsewhere in the transfer market.

Other players with notable potential include strikers Dave Kelly and Matt Murray and versatile defender Bradley Confrey. Whilst these losses are not disastrous for the squad, it means that more players are needed to be brought in to repair the depth and hopefully strength in depth.

Most of the inward transfers are in fact promising players to build that depth again. However there are a few big players that can hopefully make big differences for us in the first team in the near future…

Connor Bates: A young left back replacement for Sam Gore with plenty of potential.

Lee Booth: An older, more experiences central midefielder to keep things steady after the retirement and move into coaching (as our new Assistant Manager) of David Rainford.

Jordan Powell: Relatively young and very promising centre midfielder to bolster us in the middle of the pitch.

And there are, as I’m sure you’ll expect as you are getting familiar with my transfer policy by now, the very young prospects, including strikers Sharples, Freyne, Scowen and Houghton.

And so with the transfers and squad changes tied up for the start of the new season, in Mid Sussex Football League Division 6, the first matches of that season is what will be coming next time, I hope you join me…