Rusty Rovers need rest to recuperate

It has been over two months since I last blogged - and how things have changed. In that piece I spoke about how well Haverhill Rovers had started the campaign and, despite an indifferent pre-season, were playing some good football and enjoying some comprehensive victory - this written after the 5-1 drubbing of Ely City. Since then, however, things deteriorated quickly, and Rovers have picked up just one league win - 3-2 at CRC two games later - and suffered five league defeats, including the 3-0 home drubbing by Brantham Athletic on October 15 (pictured here), a team they 'cut to shreds' with a 3-2 FA Cup win little over a month before, and three draws. There has been some cup consolation - reaching the quarter finals of the Cambridgeshire Invitation Cup and the Suffolk Cup (where they will play Mildenhall Town in January) and the last 16 of the Ridgeons League Cup - but they have still exited the FA Cup following their 1-0 loss at King's Lynn Town, and more recently crashed out of the FA Vase to the same scoreline at Felixstowe and Walton United on Saturday (October 22).

I have not been able to attend the New Croft much lately - I was at the 5-1 FA Vase thumping of Norwich United, but since have only been to the 3-1 Ridgeons League Cup win against CUP on Tuesday from which to draw my latest conclusions about the team. Firstly, and what was noticeable on the team sheet and the pitch, is that this was a squad ravaged by injuries, suspensions and availability. Nowhere was this more evident than at the back of the park, as Rovers have been struggling to find any centre-halves lately. Marcus Hunt was available, and composed as usual at the back, although Adam Dellar, Sam Holmes and Ryan Geoghegan were all absent through injury, while Stuart Wardley began the first of a four-match ban for a ludicrous sending off in the 4-3 loss at Ely. Also missing was captain Paul Abbott, leaving Hunt to be partnered at the back by midfield bruiser Stuart Kingham and flanked by the newly promoted Cobi Guyon and the ever-reliable Greg Strong.

This uncertainty in defence was evident - Rovers started much the better team, but soon fell behind against the run of play and were then on the back foot. Kingham looked unfamiliar as a centre half and provided some tantalising opportunities for Jordan McDermott and Anthony Blandford in the CUP attack, with Hunt having to come to the rescue. Strong and Guyon looked good at the back and surging forward, but the unfamiliarity throughout the back four was clear. CUP hit the post when a goal ahead and squandered a number of good chances, and the Ridgeons Division One outfit could perhaps count themselves unfortunate to not at least force extra time.

The midfield was a little more composed and usual, despite the absence of several key players. Joe Boreham and Jamie Challis both looked comfortable in the middle, but both are the same fit - a holding midfielder. Neither has the creativity or the inclination to surge forward or pick out a pass, and they provided little penetration to the team, something illustrated when Louis Harper's introduction for Boreham at the interval provided a fresh impetus. That central creativity has often this season come from Joe Harvey, who is absent through a broken toe but expected to return for Rovers' next game at Diss Town on November 5. I never understood why manager Peter Betts rated the midfielder so highly when he returned last season, but with his pre-season goal haul this year and a fine run of form, that faith was beginning to be justified. Another key and noticeable absentee is Marc Abbott, who looks likely to be out until the New Year after breaking his leg. He set the bar high last season and failed to perform at that level consistently, but on his day is one of the finest midfielders in the division. In terms of creativity, Wardley's raking accurate passes to set up attacks were missed on Tuesday, though fortunately his absence is not long term.

Down the flanks though Rovers are still looking strong. Greg Strong and Paul Abbott are offering thrust from the back, and both interchange nicely with respective wingers Jack Wilkinson and Harry Halls. Wilkinson's return is a big plus for the club, as at one stage it looked like he may remain at parent club Needham Market after returning there to help ease their own injury crisis recently. He has looked increasingly accomplished since his arrival, another shrewd loan signing by Betts, and has grown in stature. He put in a man-of-the-match performance against CUP, created a number of good goal scoring chances, was confident in taking shots from range and composed to convert the penalty. On the opposite side, Harry Halls had been one of the season's revelations with his fine start, but had been absent lately through injury. He showed signs of returning to that form - which Marc Abbott proved last season is not easy - but if he can excel, then he will be another fine home-grown product.

There is also a fine selection of youth coming through - Cobi Guyon has done well since his promotion to the first XI, while Luke Youngs, Haverhill Cricket Club wicketkeeper and son of captain Simon, had a fine, albeit brief debut, combining with Wilkinson to set up Scott Lodge for Rovers' third. There has been much shuffling between the sticks - Alex Archer, who looked good but somewhat uncomfortable when dealing with corners and free kicks, returns to parent club Peterborugh United, Joe Harrington's brief stay ended when he was offered a trial at Ipswich Town and second-choice stopper Jamie Greygoose departed for Great Yarmouth Town. Luke Howard has looked an able goalkeeper since his introduction, although perhaps he could have done more than palm Tony Beck's deflected shot into the path of McDermott for CUP's goal, and hopefully he will remain throughout the campaign and become more settled and assured.

Things are still looking promising in the final third though, especially with Shaun Banham's return. I never held the centre forward in much high regard from what little I saw of him at Hamlet Croft before he left at the end of the 2009-10 campaign, where it seemed he got into the side more on merit of being better than Martin Westcott than being outstanding himself. I saw him squander a number of opportunities and thought Rovers would be scoring many more goals with a more clinical presence upfront. However, since returning he has scored and won penalties in both games, so is clearly an able - and improved - striker that is a welcome addition to what becomes a worryingly thin squad when hit by a number of injuries. Increased precision up front has been provided by Lodge and Dan Cornwell, who have both had fantastic starts to their Rovers careers and can hopefully maintain that path - however, the worry is that Rovers could be left short by injury to either two, or either could be snatched away if they prove to be a success.

So, it has been a difficult few weeks for Rovers, but there are signs that they may be beginning to turn around. Sam Holmes, Paul Abbott, Cornwell, Harvey, Adam Dellar and Geoghegan should all return for their next game at Diss Town, leaving only Marc Abbott and Wardley missing the next few games. At full strength they are a force to be reckoned with, and it seems unfortunate that they have recently been hampered by not only injuries to key personnel, but also some poor refereeing decisions against them. Confidence comes and goes in football with results, and going into this respite on the back of a win, albeit against lower-league opposition in a cup, could prove just the catalyst to igniting a good run. This time least year they enjoyed a seven-game winning run and an 11-game unbeaten run, and a string of victories could come just as quickly as this recent run of defeats. Hopefully they will, and Rovers can begin to ascend the table and book their place in another cup final.

Rovers enjoy an Ely good start to the season

Twelve goals in three games is not something you would expect to hear said about Haverhill Rovers, but their recent thumpings to bounce back from their opening day defeat in Gorleston stand as a testament to both the mentality of the side and the attacking talent that manager Peter Betts has finally added to what was previously a solid but blunt side. Last season and the one before it, games were, all too often, painful to watch as Rovers would either toil to get a goal or struggle to defend a slender lead that should have been much more. Last season they enjoyed a strong midfield, albeit lacking in pace and width, and one of the strongest defences in the league. However, their problems were evident upfront as Dalton O'Brien always looked better at holding the ball up rather than putting it in the net and Peter Betts' favoured 4-5-1 approach was never set up to suit Owen Paynter. The lack of attacking quality was never more evident than when they crashed to a 2-0 defeat in the final of the Cambridgeshire Invitation Cup at Cambridge United's Abbey Stadium, John Sands pouncing twice in quick succession to illustrate the difference in class.

Now though it would appear that Rovers have successfully addressed their attacking deficiencies. Scott Lodge and Dan Cornwell are both fine additions to the side and have been firing home goals for fun lately, but what is perhaps more exciting is that Rovers' goals are coming not just from these two, but from other players as well. Betts has already spoken about his high expectations, and how he thinks they can bag between 15 to 20 goals each at Ridgeons Premier League level, and looking at last season's poor goal scoring form that could propel them significantly up the table and solve their striking woes.

However, it is perhaps up front where the biggest problems also remain, as a cursory glance at the substitute's bench reveals a lack of alternatives should the pair be unfit or unavailable. Betts has already said he will not play 4-4-2 with both each game, and going 4-5-1 he does have a variety of option to go 'in the hole' or supporting striker role, but there are no other out-and-out centre-forwards at the New Croft. Owen Paynter has signed for Mildenhall Town, Callum Harrison has gone to Long Melford, Dalton O'Brien has had to return home to St Neots for personal reasons and Craig Cutts, who never managed to consistently perform at this level anyway, has dropped down to step seven and the Kershaw Premier League. So while the front two may be fit and firing together at the moment, it is a worry who should replace them should injury take its toll later in the campaign.

On a more positive note though, the goals are coming in from across the park now. The midfield is looking ever stronger, despite their being few additions of note - rather it is strengthened by improvements of players already at the club. Harry Halls has been a revelation, both in terms of pace and finishing - he put Rovers ahead with an audacious finish in the 3-0 thumping of Walsham-le-Willows in their first home game of the season, and he again found the net in the 5-1 rout of Ely City and was instrumental in setting up the final strike as well. Another player that has improved immensely over the close-season is Joe Harvey - I saw little of him that impressed me last season, but Betts always insisted that he is a brilliant midfield player since he re-joined. Now he is starting to achieve that expectation, with a good goal haul pre-season and some strong performances so far 'in the hole', almost playing as a striker at time, and will no doubt continue scoring throughout the season.

Jamie Challis is looking strong in the holding role. Another player who I found unimpressive since following Rovers, he still fails to be spectacular but is becoming increasingly able and impressive in his position, but tackles in and setting up play again with short passes. It is a testament to his improvement that he is keeping last season's quintessential midfield bruiser Stuart Kingham out of the starting XI, but following an unimpressive performance from him Betts has no excuse to break up a side on a hat-trick of victories with the two New Croft wins surrounding the 4-1 FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round win over Stowmarket Town.

Another player that has been struggling to force his way into the starting XI again is Marc Abbott - he blew hot and cold last season, showing moments of brilliance but also games of obscurity, and his form dipped towards the end of the campaign from the high standards he had set himself. He was needlessly sent off in pre-season to condemn Rovers to their second 2-0 defeat by Needham Market in as many years, and has not featured often since. He will have to be performing at his best consistently - and Betts has said that on his day he is among the best in the division - to return to the starting XI. Louis Harper will also have to seize the opportunities presented for himself to try and become a regular starter, and with a long season ahead opportunities are sure to arrive. The variety of options now provide Betts with a nice selection problem to have.

One new arrival in the centre of the park that has impressed is Jack Wilkinson. Now Betts has decided, in my opinion wisely, to play the 19-year-old at left-wing and Greg Strong at left-back, the side looks to have a new found pace and thrust out wide that has been lacking since Dan Emmanuel's brief stay at New Croft. Wilkinson is pushing forward, and also showed a calmness to finish against Ely last Tuesday (August 23). Midfield certainly looks a strong prospect at the moment, especially considering both Jack Higgs and Joe Boreham are due to return to action soon to provide further competition for places. It is questionable whether Neil Cogger will ever fully return, especially to his prime, but he would provide a further welcome boost, and the current squad strength would reduce the burden on how often he would play.

At the back, the side still looks as strong as ever, especially if the defensive line-up can remain uninterrupted. Dan Pilcher is the only notable player to have departed, though Rovers seem more than capable of covering that loss. Wilkinson is capable of filling in at left-back, though Strong continues to hold down that place with consistently good performances both defending and attacking. On the other side of the pitch, Paul Abbott continues to put in strong performances following his elevation to captain. He was knocked out in Rovers' rout of Ely, but the emergence of Ryan Geohagen, who looks equally capable as full-back and centre-half, and even when pushed further up the pitch, is another plus for Rovers.

In the middle of defence, Stuart Wardley and Marcus Hunt continue to show composure and forge a strong partnership. Hunt, who won Echo player of the season last year, has not dipped since choosing to relinquish the captaincy, though was perhaps a bit rash in conceding a penalty against Ely. Both also showed their finishing skills with a goal apiece in that game, and can be relied upon for several goals a season. Last year saw their partnership secure one of the best defensive records in the division until the late-season collapse following injuries disrupting the side, and if they can stay together again they look set to continue that.

Wardley, the fans' player of the season, has affirmed his commitment to Rovers by spurning the advances of AFC Sudbury and instead choosing to stay on a smaller pay packet at the New Croft. He has spoken of his involvement in the side, how he enjoys Betts' style of football (a testament to what the manager is trying to build) and said that it would take 'a very good offer' to get him to leave Rovers. Defence then looks equally well covered, especially considering Sam Holmes is set to return soon.

The only other area of concern is between the sticks. Alex Archer looks a very capable goalkeeper, and showed nerve to save Ely's penalty, and hopefully he will remain at the club throughout the season with Jamie Greygoose deputising, though the latter is the necessary choice for FA Cup matches due to Rovers' loan agreement with Peterborough United. Liam Cutts, who looked increasingly capable as Matt Morrison was frozen out of the side, has left, along with Morrison, while Joe Harrington barley had chance to impress during his short stint, but has clearly got potential to be trialled by Ipswich Town.

Still, this Rovers side is certainly the strongest looking I have seen in my time here. Betts has spoken about the need for consistency now after Ely 'set the standard' for the tempo they should be playing at. Kirkley and Pakefield will set a sterner test on Saturday (August 27), as will a trip to CRC the following Wednesday (August 31) with Cambridge United's first XI not in action mid-week. However, the focus now is on Brantham Athletic on September 3, home to last year's Ridgeons Premier top scorer Ollie Mann, with victory against them bringing an FA Cup First Round Qualifying game against either one of UCL Premier Division sides King's Lynn Town or Soham Town Rangers. If Rovers can maintain their blistering start to the season with goals galore and few conceded, then there is no reason why they cannot maintain that sort of form and aim for a top four finish - perhaps even promotion? The challenge will come in maintaining that throughout the campaign as injuries and suspensions take their toll, but Betts certainly has a stronger and deeper squad to handle those pressures than he did last season.

My full interviews with Betts and Wardley are in today's (Thursday, August 25) Echo.