So, three games in and we’re still undefeated. Not a bad start to the season at all. We’ve lost a lot of experience from the team – and the side is far from the finished article, but the signs are there for all to see. We’ve played much better football so far this season than we did at almost any point last year – and we’re looking harder to beat, too.
We need two or three more players, however – and the good news is Neale Cooper recognises that too. Brent Sancho looks all set to sign this week. His work permit should cause a delay, but not a problem, so we’ll have his pace, strength and ability on the ball in our defence sooner rather than later, which is a huge plus. Hopefully we’ll see Tom Williams get fit soon, too. Danny Jackman has performed admirably at left back in Williams’ absence, but he isn’t a natural defender. The addition of Sancho at right back and Williams at left back should hopefully help strengthen the defence further.
We’re looking OK in midfield, though our situation up front means we’ve not yet been able to field our strongest midfield lineup, as Danny Spiller would surely form part of it. The most glaring problem with our side at the moment is our strikeforce. Darren Byfield has been in good form at the start of the season, but he’s largely been working alone. Paul Shields looks like a raw talent and will take time to get fully match-fit and attuned to the pace of the game in League One. With Byfield’s sending off, the need for us to sign at least one more quality striker is all the more obvious. With money too tight to mention, it’ll be difficult for Cooper to bring in the sort of quality we need.
Ideally we need a big strong target-man, and that will probably mean having to fork out a transfer fee. With players at our level and above likely to be out of our price range, Cooper may have to look to
But while we do need to strengthen in one or two areas, one thing is pretty clear. This division is there for the taking. While we probably don’t have the squad strength to last the course in a title race, a playoff place doesn’t look beyond us. We’ve played reasonably well with a patched-up side with a number of players out of position – and we’re still unbeaten. That run won’t last forever, of course, but if we can get the signings we need in the next fortnight, we could be in for a good season, better than I expected. Based on what I’ve seen so far, League One is light-years behind the Championship in terms of quality – and even when we’re average, we’re still more than capable of picking up points this season.
We now know we can compete towards the top if we bring in two or three quality players. There’s nothing to fear in this division – and with a couple of shrewd signings before the end of the month, we can really have a go at challenging for a top six finish this season.