|
NOTTS DISPLAY STRENGTH IN DEPTH
As last season, getting people to play for Nottinghamshire FC is not a difficult thing to do. At the time of writing the club has 75 players registered. This means that technically 19 players are not getting a game each Saturday. Of course there are injuries, work commitments and unavailability to take into consideration, but the facts are that the club has healthy numbers and that there is now a lot of competition for places.
The most changes are happening at the top end of the club as Manager Sanjeev Kalia continues to recruit new players and rebuild his new look squad.
The 1st XI currently lie in midtable with a game in hand on the teams above them. The NAA Premier Division looks like it will be a very closely fought contest this season with no team looking particularly dominant. If the squad can obtain some consistency and show some defensive strength, then anything is possible. They will certainly have to work on their fitness.
Behind this squad there is a very strong looking Reserve side who are doing very well in MAA Division One, currently lying in second place. They have won all but one of their league fixtures and have only conceded goals in four goals in seven games, three of these against league leaders, Heanor Colliers.
This strength in depth should continue to put pressure on the players in the 1st XI squad and let them know that their places need to be fought for. Hopefully this will encourage a few more of them to come training on a Tuesday night!
Notts Threes have also had a bright start and were (briefly) top of MAA Division Two. Chris’s side are inconsistent performers at present though and need to tighten up defensively if they are to remain near the top of what is an open division.
The 4ths have had a pleasing start to their season. After only winning seven league games last term, they have already won four this time around and in strikers Watson and Hodgkinson (10 goals) they have two experienced strikers who should serve them well.
Of course all the ‘spare’ players of the 75 mentioned at the start of this article, who are not getting a game each Saturday are in the 4th XI squad and once again ‘squad rotation’ is in operation. Unlike Benitez, Ferguson, Wenger and Mourinho, manager Tim Salmon is trying to do it on a fair basis to keep everyone involved!
|
