June/July 2013

The 1st week of July saw plenty of changes at New Bucks Head, with no less than seven players leaving. Ryan Young, Paul Dixon, Adam Vasey and Danny Carey-Bertram were all released from the club as their deal expired, along with three others. The only incoming player was 29-year-old former Colchester midfielder David Fox, who would provide Michael Noone with some stiff competition in the attacking central midfielder role.

June was fairly quiet as a whole. We were given about £30k to spend; more than enough for a Blue Square Premier side, so I spent the majority of the month scouring endless lists of players in an attempt to find someone who would make a significant difference to the team. Both my scouts were sent out to look for players in and around the UK, but there definitely was a distinct lack of talent on show. Maybe we were looking in the wrong places.

Our first friendly of the campaign brought us up against Glenn Hoddle's Academy. David Fox started the game in midfield, alongside 21-year-old Leicester defender Tom Parkes. Parkes had been bought on that very day for a hefty £16k, a club record but a fee in which I was fairly reluctant to hand over. Parkes had signed after making 19 appearances for the League One side last season, and would be the long-term replacement for the ageing Graham Coughlan. We won the game 3-1, thanks to goals from Ryan Charles, Lewis Montrose and Michael Noone.

We then had two friendlies in the space of a week, and we won both of them. The first was against Canvey Island, which finished 1-0 through a Jake Simpson goal, and the second was against Horsham, which we won 5-0 thanks to goals from Jon Adams, Denis Behan and a superb hat-trick from Richard Offiong.

22-year-old Callum Harrison was signed for £3k just before the next friendly at home to Aston Villa, our parent club. Harrison came from Sheffield Wednesday, managing 12 appearances for the League One side last season, and could operate in defence and, more capably, in midfield. I was hoping to convert Harrison into a centre back, as he had all the necessary attributes; height, strength and tackling. We ended up losing the Villa game 6-0, but we put up a spirited performance against a side who finished 3rd in the Premier League in the previous season.

A 2-0 win against Birmingham Reserves, with goals from David Fox and Lewis Alessandra, completed the month. There was still one scheduled pre-season fixture left, away at Stourport, and then it would be the beginning of our league campaign. We were due to play Histon (H) in the first game, followed by York (H) and Wrexham (A).