Pic: Alan Palmer Photography
BRADLEY HUDSON-ODOI reckons new club Wealdstone have more than enough quality to recover from their slow start in the Vanarama National League South.
Forward Hudson-Odoi joined the Stones in the summer from Met Police after helping Jim Cooper’s side into the play-offs with 12 goals before losing in the semi-finals to Hendon.
An impressive first season back in England after two years in Hungary with Vasas FC persuaded Gordon Bartlett to take him to the Vale.
The former Ghana U20 international helped the Stones to their first win of the season two Saturdays ago as they beat Bishop’s Stortford 3-1 but it’s been a tough start for Bartlett’s men.
They have just five points on the board from their opening eight league games but Hudson-Odoi says nobody is pushing the panic button.
“We’ve got a very strong squad but our pre-season got disrupted so we haven’t really got into gear yet,” he said. Spirit
“A few lads were on holiday or picked up injuries so I feel like we’re only just ending our pre-season now where as other clubs have had weeks together. The start has taken us by surprise but nobody is promoted or relegated in August.
“We’ve got some quality strikers here. We just need to gel.”
Hudson-Odoi already has plenty of Non-League experience at the age of 26 and says veteran boss Bartlett was the main reason he agreed to leave Met Police.
Wealdstone might not be able to compete with the likes of Ebbsfleet, Maidstone, Margate or Whitehawk financially but the winger knows how much difference team spirit can make.
“You could see last season in the Ryman Premier that the two clubs with the biggest budgets went up,” he said.
“At Met Police we weren’t fancied to do that well but we had some very good players and it shows you what togetherness can do.”
Meanwhile, former Stones’ midfielder and film star Vinnie Jones is all set to join his 1985 Double-winning team-mates at a special 30-year celebration event at the club on Saturday, starting at 11.30am.
