Conference National 2006/07 – A preview (continued)
Kidderminster
Arrivals
Andy White (Notts County), Stuart Whitehead (Shrewsbury), Mark Creighton (Redditch),
Luke Reynolds (AFC Telford), Steve Taylor (AFC Telford), Dean Sturridge (QPR),
Jamie McClen (unattached), Brian Smikle (WBA)
Departures
Dan Lewis (Moor Green), Gareth Sheldon ( Hereford), Lee Thompson,
Terry Fleming, Daryl Burgess,Wayne Graves, Simon Rea, John Danby,
Danny Mason (Stourport)
Kidderminster have pulled off one of the big transfer “coups” of the summer by signing ex QPR, Derby and Wolves striker Sturridge. Sturridge scored 32 goals in 51 starts. He is sure to score a hatful of goals this season at this level.
Kidderminster have also strengthened well about the back by signing Redditch’s player of the season, 6.4” Creighton. The backline also has plenty of league experience with ex-Walsall’s Johnny Harkness and ex-Shrewsbury and Carlisle’s Stuart Whitehead. Partnering Sturridge this season will be Luke Reynolds who finished AFC Telford’s top scorer, despite being on loan with the Harriers for a large part of the season. Reynolds signaled his future intent by scoring 4 times in the last 8 games last season.
The midfield engine room has been added to as well with the addition of Jamie McClen who spent ten years at Newcastle United and has been performing very well in the centre of the park with Russ Penn.
AMP’s Analysis: The Harriers should improve on last year’s 15 th with ease and perhaps may be an outside bet to make the play-offs. Certainly one to watch on the match coupons at the start of the season.
Morecambe
Arrivals
David McNiven (Scarboro), Craig Stanley ( Hereford), Daniel Meadowcroft (Mossley),
Fraser McLachlan (Mansfield), Adriano Rigoglioso ( Doncaster)
Departures
Stuart Barlow, Jimmy Kelly ( Lancaster), Michael Stringfellow (Barrow),
Darren Kempson ( Crewe), John Hardiker (Fleetwood), Lee Dodgson (Fleetwood)
Loosing play-off semi-finalists Morecambe will be looking for another successful season in this competitive league. Last season Morecambe lost more away games (10) than any other team from the top half of the table so this will have to be addressed if they’re to be real contenders this season.
The defense seems to be a bit of a problem for them. They lost two rated defenders in Kempson and Hardiker in the close season and we’re spanked 5-1 by Tranmere at home recently. By Boss Sammy McIlroy’s admission they need two or three more additions to challenge for the title.
They have kept a lot more of last season’s squad then those around them though, which is encouraging. Ex-Man United player Micheal Twiss is a versatile forward that weighs in with goals. Youth product Danny Carlton finished 3 rd top conference goalscorer last season with 18 goals. Joining them will be Craig Stanley, a “box to box” midfield player who was part of the Hereford team that won promotion last season.
AMP’s Analysis: Morecambe will be hard pushed to achieve the same position that they did last season. I think they should still make the play-offs.
Northwich
Arrivals
Tony Gallimore (Rochdale), Gareth Griffiths (Rochdale), Kevin Townson (Macclesfield),
Ryan Brown (Leek), Phil Senior (Huddersfield), Chris Farman ( Newcastle)
Departures
Ben Chapman (Nuneaton), Dave Clarke ( Nuneaton), Kristian Rogers, Mark Devlin
Apart from an elongated “blip” towards the end of the season the Vics always looked a class apart in the Conference North and will feel they’re back where they belong.
Manager Steve Burr is happy with the additions he has made in the close season. The best of which could well be striker Kevin Townson from Macclesfield who had an excellent pre-season game recently at Witton. Burr also brings league experience in the shape of Gallimore and Griffiths from Rochdale and Senior from Huddersfield. He is currently looking to bring in one more player to provide cover for midfield. They did go down 4-1 to Accrington Stanley in a pre-season game recently.
AMP’s Analysis: I’m sure manager Steve Burr will be using the “C” word a lot this season – “Consolidation” and I’m sure they’ll be happy with where I expect them to finish – a healthy few places of the relegation spots.
Oxford Utd
Arrivals
Phil Gilchrist (Rotherham), Eddie Hutchinson (Brentford), Eddie Anaclet (Southampton),
Carl Pettefer (Southend), Gavin Johnson ( Northampton)
Departures
Eric Sabin (retired), Jon Ashton (Rushden). Tim Sills ( Hereford),
Jamie Brooks (Didcot), Lee Mansell (Torquay), Stuart Gray,
Bradie Clark, Leo Roget, Mark E'beyer, Liam Smyth (Aylesbury)
Another “Big Club” that has fallen on hard times and expected to bounce straight back. Oxford are managed by the bald eagle himself, Jim Smith, so they have an experienced man at the helm but it’s been experienced mostly gained at the higher end of the football league ladder.
Smith has got a job on his hands because he has main striker Steve Basham injured for the start of the season and is looking around to bring one in before the transfer deadline. Rob Duffy has just been offered a deal but the ex-Stevenage and Rushden man is not seen as an out-and-out goal scorer.
To Oxford’s credit they’ve approached pre-season playing lots of passing football. The supporters though are concerned if the team currently has enough battling qualities to get out of this league and enough firepower to do so. Smith has also overhauled the defense and is playing with 3 centre-backs so unless they hit the ground running it could be a long season for the U’s.
AMP’s Analysis: The season is also coming too soon for Oxford. Smith may well bring in some quality loan signings as the season progresses but I feel the play-offs will offer the U’s their only chance of getting back to the big time.
Rushden & Diamonds
Arrivals
John Ashton ( Oxford), Leo Fortune-West (Doncaster), Paul Watson (Woking),
Chris Hope ( Gillingham), Glenn Wilson (Palace)
Departures
Sean Ridgway (Aldershot), Peter Hawkins (Gravesend), Drew Broughton (Chester),
Barry Hunter (Portadown), Darren Caskey (Kettering), Rob Gier, Gary Mills,
Phil Gulliver (Hereford), Ronnie Bull, Magnus Okunhague
The other team relegated last season, R & D have reasons to be optimistic about life back in the conference.
Ex-Leeds manager Paul Hart has made some shrewd investments in the transfer market. . Up top there’s ex- Cardiff’s Leo-Fortune West and Michael Rankine, who was at Alfreton last season and has won a contract with his pre-season displays. Chris Hope also brings league a considerable amount of experience to the midfield.
Following a narrow 3-2 defeat to Reading, Steve Coppell had this to say about R & D:
“ They are well organised, disciplined and very fit so they know what they are doing”.
This point was proved when they beat CC Div 2 Peterborough recently 3-0, with the defense getting praise and worrying for Conference defenders Rankine and Fortune-West on the score sheet.
AMP’s Analysis: In much better shape than Oxford. Serious Championship credentials.
Southport
Arrivals
Tony Gray (Burscough), Mark Boyd (Accrington), Paul Martin (Tranmere), Kevin Lee (Blackpool), Joe Fowler (Tranmer), James Olsen (Barrow), Mark Jackson (unattached),
Francis Barry (Everton), Dino Maamria (Southport)
Departures
Jamie Speare (Barrow), Jerome Fitzgerald (Fleetwood), Dominic Morley (Burscough),
Kevin Leadbitter (Burscough), Neil Robinson (Burscough), Chris Price (Burscough),
Steve Pickford (Hyde), Earl Davis (Hyde), Neil Fitzhenry (Burscough)
It was an incredible achievement for Southport to stay in this league last season. This season they’ll have to try and do it again without the manager who guided and kept them in the Conference – Liam Watson. He has gone to Burscough after Southport decided to go full-time and he has taken a lot of the squad with him. Burscough’s top scorer from last term Tony Gray has come the other way and Southport will be hoping that he can score the goals at a higher level to keep them up.
New boss Paul Cook has had to assemble almost a new squad and the defense seems to be a big cause for concern for many fans.
AMP’s Analysis: For much of last season Southport weren’t good enough for this league. With the player exodus and the time needed for a new team to gel they could be in troublefrom the off. Relegation battlers.
St Albans
Arrivals
Josh Sozzo (Hitchin), Dave Theobald ( Kettering), Adam Wilde ( Salisbury),
Ricky Perks (Walton)
Departures
Ben Walshe, Patrick Ada ( Exeter), Amos Foyewa, Mark Burgess (Maidenhead)
John Gibson worked a miracle with his part-time team last season in the Conference South. They pushed big spending, full-time Weymouth all the way before gaining promotion via the play-offs.
AMP’s Analysis: I just don’t think that St Alban’s have the resources to cope with life in the play-offs. If it wasn’t for Crawley’s penalty they’d be definite relegation certainties and ones to back against on a weekley basis in the new season.
Stafford Rangers
Arrivals
None
Departures
Peter Thomson (Altrincham), Matt Clarke ( Redditch), Paul McMahon (Chasetown),
Dean Williams, Paul Groves (Retired)
Stafford mirrored St Alban’s achievements and won promotion through the Conference North’s play-offs. They’ll be one of the only part-time team’s in the Conference and will operate on a shoe string budget.
Like St Albans they haven’t made the kind of acquisitions to make them any kind of force in this league. However, as a recent draw with Walsall showed, they do posses a lot of team spirit and it is this which they’ll require to compete with the more “classier” teams in the conference.
AMP’s Analysis: I think Stafford could do quite well again at home and surprise a few teams but it will be on their travels where they’ll struggle. I think they’ll finish a place or two above 2 nd bottom.
Stevenage
Arrivals
Danny Potter (Canvey), Dale Binns (Camb City), John Nutter (Grays),
Santos Gaia (Exeter), Barry Fuller (Charlton), Tony Thorpe (Colchester),
Craig Dobson (Cambridge City),Hector Mackie (Welling)
Departures
Ollie Berquez (Woking), Dino Maamria (Southport), Mickey Warner (Havant),
Justin Gregory (Havant),Barry Laker (Retired),Rob Quinn (Gravesend),
Shane Gore (Havant), Simon Weatherstone (Weymouth),Louis Lee (Arlesey),
Matt Hocking (Fisher), David Perpetuini, Laurie Stewart, Gary Schillaci,
Jefferson Louis (Eastleigh)
Before the appointment of Mark Stimson, Stevenage were around 10/1. Since his appointment, and the many quality additions that have accompanied it, that price has halved and Stevenage will go off favourites for this league.
Stimson’s signings have been the pick of the bunch. Ex-Million pound player Tony Thorpe has been prolific in the lower professional leagues with Luton, Fulham and Bristol City and also played for QPR. He’s joined in attack by Hector Sam, who has impressed the Broadhall Way faithful with his performances pre-season. Also arriving are the pair of Dobson and Binns from Cambridge City, both highly rated midfielders. Nutter also follows his manager from Grays and they were upset to see the left back go.
All of this adding to a talented team who finished 6 th last season.
AMP’s Analysis: Stevenage have a great squad and a great manager. The value in the outright price has long gone now I suspect they’ll be champions come May.
Tamworth
Arrivals
Emett Friars (Notts County), Matt Williams (Notts County),
Jon Stevenson (Alfreton), Tommy Johnson (Scunthorpe)
Steve Burton (Crawley), John McGrath (Weymouth), Graeme Law (Dundee)
Departures
Nathan Jackson (Hednesford), Bob Taylor, Carl Heggs (Hinckley),
Mark Gayle (Halesowen), Scott Bevan (Kidderminster), Danny Davidson (Moor Green) Tris Whitman (Alfreton), Craig Reid , Scott Stamps
Tamworth were only spared relegation last season by Canvey’s decision to leave the league.
Following a loan period last season veteran striker Tommy Johnson has signed a contract with the team. Again, Tamworth haven’t made major acquisitions but their budget dictates that they are not able to do so. They’ve had good pre-season wins against Birmingham and WBA, but the opponents teams weren’t very strong at all.
Fans are pleased to see that Tamworth are now playing flowing football but question where the creativity will come to prize up some of the more organized Conference defenses.
The addition of John McGrath may well solve this problem as he was playing as a winger for Weymouth last season and is capable of a goal or two. However, his appearances were restricted at Weymouth so it remains to be seen if he’ll be a success at a higher level.
AMP’s Analysis: Tamworth will be down there or there about’s this season. They’ll proably be saved by Crawley and one of the newly promoted team’s but another season long dog-fight beckons.
Weymouth
Arrivals
Nick Crittenden (Aldershot), Tony James ( Hereford), Ashley Vickers (Dagenham),
Richard Logan ( Peterborough), Dean Howell ( Halifax), Shaun Wilkinson (unattached),
Simon Weatherstone (Stevenage), Marcus Richardson (Chester)
Departures
Kirk Jackson (Harrogate), Steve Clark (Fisher), Darren Wheeler (Eastleigh),
Matt Bound (Eastleigh), Brian Dutton (Eastleigh), Craig O'Connor (Havant),
Ian Hutchinson (Dorchester), John McGrath (Tamworth),
Terry Parker, Dean Holdsworth (Havant)
Big spending Weymouth didn’t have it all their own way last season on the way to the Conference South Championship. Promotion was expected, and the likes of Elam, Smith, Challis, Downer are easily Conference Class. In strikers Wayne Purser (ex-Peterborough) and Ralphe Nade (on-loan from Carlisle) they have a ready-made front-line for this level.
Boss Hill isn’t getting carried away though, all too aware that newly promoted teams struggle in this league he’s urging fans to “Keep their feet on the ground”
AMP’S Analysis: Another team that will surprise some of the more established Conference outfits as the season progresses. Ultimately I think they’ll finish a few points off the promotion places.
Woking
Arrivals
Ollie Berquez (Stevenage), Danny Bunce (Camb Utd)
Departures
Justin Richards ( Peterborough), Mark Rawle , Malik Buari,
Lloyd Blackman, Jimmy Aggrey, Paul Watson (Rushden)
The FA trophy loosing finalists have also suffered a big blow in loosing last season’s top scorer Justin Richards to a CC League 2 club. Without Richards last season Woking looked distinctively average. Once they got into the final their form suffered and they won just 3 games out of the last 12.
Manager Glenn Cockeril has re-signed the majority of last season’s squad but has yet to find an all important replacement for hit-man Richards and may really on players coming through the youth ranks to fill the gap.
AMP’s Analysis: The teams mounting a genuine challenge for the play-offs have strengthened considerably and all have the services of a striker likely to bag 15 league goals plus. Woking don’t have that and will be mid-table again at the end of the season.
York
Arrivals
Darren Craddock (Hartlepool), Steve Bowey (Queen of South), Craig Farrell (Exeter),
Dave McGurk (Darlington), Tommy Evans (Scunthorpe), Ross Greenwood (Stockport),
Anthony Lloyd (Huddersfield)
Departures
Mark Hotte (Scarboro), Joe ONeill (Altrincham), Andy Bishop (Bury),
Dave Merris (Harrogate), Jamie Price (Harrogate), Darren Dunning ( Harrogate),
Bryan Stewart, Ashley Winn (Stalybridge)
A team traditionally fancied to do well York have to come to terms with life after Andy Bishop, the Conference’s top goal scorer last season with 23 league goals. They still have strike partner Clayton Donaldson, who scored 17 times last term. Boss Billy Mcewan has brought in Craig Farrell from Exeter but the striker is not as prolific as the departed Bishop.
McEwan has also added players with league experience. Goalkeeper Evans comes from Scunthorpe, Antohny Lloyd can play at either full back, centre-back Mcgurk, and defender Craddock.
What is worring for York is that they only have 3 strikers on contract. Also, they have lost their last 3 pre-season friendlies. This isn’t an indication of what lies in head for them this season, but loosing to Gainsborough Trinity and Middlesborough reserves won’t do their confidence any good.
AMP’s Analysis: I don’t think York currently have what it takes to match up with the sides that have made real quality acquisitions. The loss of Bishop is a real blow and not yet replaced. They should make the play-offs but will have to fight to do so.
Recommended Bets:
Outright:
Stevenage to win the league @ 6/1 Expect, 5 pts
To be Promoted:
Aldershot @ 10/1 Tote, 1pt
Rushden @ 8/1 Bet365, 1pt
Handicap Betting:
Kiderminster E/W + 22 pts @ 18/1 Corals (E/W ¼ odds 1.2.3), 2pts (total)
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