A frustrating campaign, but plenty of hope for the coming months...
Wandsworth Athletic’s second season following an initial return to league action in November 2010 was one of promise, but ultimately disappointment. Four wins and six defeats is not the sort of record the club is accustomed to, and despite periods of excellent football, inconsistency during games was a major problem.
The season was perhaps best summarised by two fixtures against Sanchez, which both ended in one goal defeats. In each game, Wandsworth played some excellent football, often dictating play for long periods. But lapses in energy and concentration led to narrow losses.
However, it must be remembered that the squad is hugely depleted. Andy Michel was absent for this campaign, and now awaits surgery in June for his knee injury. Sasan Molaie remains unavailable for the long term. Tim ‘Tank’ Rickard has suffered frustrating relapses in his rehabilitation and missed the whole season. Ricky Tavares, Alex Platt, Pete Thorn and Zaid Shoubber have all been largely unavailable as well.
Considering this, the season still offers some promise and hope for the future, and if Wandsworth can become more consistent then the next campaign could see better results. Joey ‘The Don’ Hancock and Kyle ‘Tourist’ Soulsby have shown some encouraging potential, with Hancock slamming in a personal record of seven goals in the early fixture against Olympic Waterloo. And congratulations must be passed onto Philmont ‘Big Philly Style’ Abraham, who made his debut for the club midway through the season; a proud moment for any young football player.
In squad news for the new campaign, David Lloyd is back out on loan in Argentina, but the club hope Sam Lewis will be available having shown real quality in his first few appearances.
In other news, the club is still in the process of negotiating a destination for this year’s Summer Tour. Following last year’s successful trip to Mallorca, Wandsworth will be looking to further market the club brand in August this year.
Statistics for the season are listed below (special thanks to Andy Michel for collating these).
Final Position: 4th
Games Won: 4
Games Drawn: 0
Games Lost: 6
Goals Scored: 87
Goals Conceded: 92
End of Season Squad List
Appearances
Matthew Snelling: 10
Benjamin Lewis: 9
Kyle Soulsby: 8
Joseph Hancock: 9
James Platt: 10
Sam Lewis: 5
Misha Mantel: 4
George Rendel: 4
David Lloyd: 4
Philmont Abraham: 3
Alex Platt: 2
Goals Scored
Benjamin Lewis: 3
Kyle Soulsby: 12
Joseph Hancock: 17
James Platt: 21
Sam Lewis: 9
Misha Mantel: 11
George Rendel: 2
David Lloyd: 6
Philmont Abraham: 4
A disappointing season in the main but a team still very much in transition and one missing a whole clutch of previously key players. Seasoned Wandsworth watchers and season ticket holders would most likely point to some crucial lapses in concentration being particularly costly. If this can be improved, and recent performances suggest it is then the team will be more than able to move back towards the upper reaches of the table.
ReplyDeleteA new season has brought with it new optimism and a couple of performances that have shown that the character of the club is still firmly alive and kicking.
A shout out must also go to Wandsworth’s irrepressible No. 9 Andrew Michel who will be going under the knife later this summer. Here’s hoping the target man will be back among the goals before we know it