Eleven games into the new season and the fledgling table is already beginning to take shape. Whilst I’ll look at how the Imps have done later in the week, there are a few surprises amongst the early pace setters. There are also a few tales being told that wouldn’t have taken Nostradamus to predict.
The early struggles of Forest Green Rovers are of no surprise to anyone that saw them in action last season. They were never a side for the big occasion, always able to put part-timers to the sword but also ones for bottling their so-called big games. Two defeats against us was testament to their frailties. Anyone who saw our second clash in the league would have noticed their lack of a plan B, or even a proper plan A. When ‘outspend the rest’ didn’t work they were stuck and that is patently evident in the early League Two table.
I’m surprised Mark Cooper has survived as long as he has, the fact he wasn’t the first to go is perhaps more down to other chairmen getting itchy trigger fingers rather than Dale Vince suddenly discovering his benevolent side. That said, Vince has done well not to push his beleaguered manager over a cliff and a trip to Notts County next weekend is the last thing Cooper wants to see on the fixture list. I assume Liam Noble feels the same, he’s a diamond lost in the mountains of excrement at Forest Green and a visit to Meadow Lane next week will be a ‘here’s what you could have won’ Bullseye moment for the talented midfielder.
FGR lost to Accrington yesterday and if Vince really wants to pull himself out of the mire he’d do worse than checking out John Coleman. He must get more from his side, pound for pound, than any manager in the Football League. Stanley currently sit third in the table, Kayden Jackson and Billy Kee sharing 13 goals in their climb up the table. It could be argued they haven’t played many of the ‘top’ sides yet, their seven wins have come against Colchester, FGR, Carlisle, Morecambe, Chesterfield and one stand out result against Mansfield. Even so they’re working on a tight budget and with a pairing up top like Jackson and Kee they’ll stayed tucked in the top seven even when the big sides come to visit.
Chesterfield have had a miserable start to the season but I suspect with the arrival of Jack Lester they’ll turn it around. He’s done well at Nottingham Forest U23’s and it’s no surprise to see him get a proper job. He’ll have a job turning the current squad around as they’re low on confidence, but once we get to January I suspect he’ll be returning to his former employers for a loan or two. I don’t expect to see them still in the mire come May, but next week might be too early for a turnaround which is good news for City.
Jack has a rich history of doing us over though, he scored in FOUR successive meetings with is including a hat trick. He blotted his copy book somewhat with a late penalty miss the last time the two sides met, but that was a long while ago now. Jack is a nice bloke I’m told, Danny had a good relationship with him and he was quick to bring a side down to Sincil Bank at short notice this summer. I wish him well after Saturday.
I’m not surprised to see Exeter amongst the early pace-setters either, they arrested a two-game slump yesterday with a fine win against Morecambe. How they reacted to losing Ollie Watkins was always going to be crucial and they appear to have done so magnificently. Both them and Notts County were expecting to be on the periphery but along with Accrington they’re setting the bar for others to challenge.
Mansfield are blowing hot and cold, they investment there hasn’t brought the early dominance pundits might have expected. Steve can’t spend to push himself further up the table so he’ll have to rely on his tactical nous and official intimidation, something I fear will continue to be a success. They’re in the top ten but haven’t ben as consistent nor all-conquering as their budget dictated they might. Luton are another that have stumbled slightly so far, but I see the Hatters coming through their rough period whilst I ‘fear’ Mansfield may continue to remain on the fringes but never out in front.
Down at the bottom many of the usual suspects are there, Port Vale joining FGR and Chesterfield on just five points. The issue Vale have is ownership and if anyone is primed for back-to-back relegations it is them. As yet they’ve not sorted out their owner issues and as Orient discovered last season it can disrupt an entire campaign. They’re managerless too, something they haven’t moved quickly to solve and that can only be affecting the morale of the players. The fact that both them and Chesterfield have disposed of managers but FGR haven’t highlights the apparent patience which Dal Vince is operating under.
I’m surprised to see Barnet and Morecambe down there despite pre-season predictions they would struggle. Both sides turned in good performances against City, Morecambe in particular looked strong if not deadly up top. Barnet really tore into us in the second 45 last week and both appear to have plenty about them to suggest they won’t be in for a season of struggle. That said, it is a very competitive league and aside from the bottom three there’s not much to choose between 21st placed Morecambe on ten points and us in 11th on 16 points.
Despite having three wins under their belt, I fear for Crawley. They’ve only lost one less than the three adrift at the bottom of the table, two of their wins have come against fellow strugglers Yeovil and Barnet. They’re struggling for goals and have kept just two clean sheets all season. As the pack at the bottom becomes detached from mid-table I expect to see Harry Kewell’s side amongst those fighting for their life. I’m looking forward to seeing them and Chesterfield at the Bank in the coming weeks as they both represent fine opportunities to grab points.
As expected the early exchanges have seen some surprises and some teams doing exactly as predicted. I’ll look at our start in more detail over the coming days (unless the rain stops here on Bryher), but I expect Mark Cooper might spend his coming days looking over his shoulder.
[wpedon id=”15558″ align=”center”]
Think you mean Watkins not Hawkins Gary!