culloty82
02/06/2025, 3:12 PM
Now that 2025 has reached the halfway mark, might as well try to reflect on the season to date, and assess where the club is overall:
Pros:
We already have as many wins for this term as were achieved in the whole of 2024 (more if you include Harps), so the side has certainly become more clinical when it comes to harvesting points - we'd 12 at the halfway mark last term.
The squad definitely appears more balanced than was the case in the previous years - both times the second half collapse form was largely down to overreliance on core players and a spate of injuries, leaving the management dependent on academy players to fill the bench, whereas now there are multiple options to introduce, and the team has been able to cope during Kelliher's absence.
On a related theme, a happy medium appears to have been reached between local talent and external experience, which perhaps shows through in the overall consistency of results so far.
Cons:
Despite Palmer's contributions, Amechi's welcome return and Okwute's improved performance and work rate, there's no denying that our scoring rate remains one of the lowest in the division, and while we've had relatively few scoreless games, greater ruthlessness up front will be required if we're looking to climb the table.
Discipline could also become an issue later on in the year, as we've already seen a number of suspensions accumulated due to needless, niggly bookings, so hopefully that'll be addressed after the mid-season break.
Pros:
We already have as many wins for this term as were achieved in the whole of 2024 (more if you include Harps), so the side has certainly become more clinical when it comes to harvesting points - we'd 12 at the halfway mark last term.
The squad definitely appears more balanced than was the case in the previous years - both times the second half collapse form was largely down to overreliance on core players and a spate of injuries, leaving the management dependent on academy players to fill the bench, whereas now there are multiple options to introduce, and the team has been able to cope during Kelliher's absence.
On a related theme, a happy medium appears to have been reached between local talent and external experience, which perhaps shows through in the overall consistency of results so far.
Cons:
Despite Palmer's contributions, Amechi's welcome return and Okwute's improved performance and work rate, there's no denying that our scoring rate remains one of the lowest in the division, and while we've had relatively few scoreless games, greater ruthlessness up front will be required if we're looking to climb the table.
Discipline could also become an issue later on in the year, as we've already seen a number of suspensions accumulated due to needless, niggly bookings, so hopefully that'll be addressed after the mid-season break.