Three of The NLP’s top reporters provide an insight into their club ahead of Saturday’s National League fixtures.
Aldershot Town – Steve Gibbs
Looking ahead to the clash with Braintree Town, who will be out on the park for Aldershot?
Trying to second guess Gary Waddock’s team selection has always been futile, but there are potential issues throughout the side.
Youthful Will Mannion or vastly-experienced Jake Cole in goal; the right side of defence, where Marvin McCoy and Josh Lelan are prone to injury and/or inconsistency; injuries to winger Jacob Berkeley-Agyepong and striker Matt McClure; plus this week’s departure of Dan Holman which may leave Scott Rendell as our only fit striker.
A switch to 4-3-3 has worked well in recent weeks, with Adam McDonnell and Adam May outstanding in attacking midfield roles, and Waddock may have to persevere with that this weekend given the players available to him.
Key players for your club at the moment?
Rendell, given he is almost certainly a guaranteed starter even though Waddock would like to manage his gametime.
Adam May’s arrival on loan from Portsmouth has galvanised the team, with his energy and drive and knack of being in the right place at the right time to score crucial goals. George Fowler is only 20 years old but has become a leader and lynchpin at centre-back in the continued absence of skipper Karl Osborne.
Thoughts on the season so far?
We enjoyed a summer full of promise, but in reality it’s been a continuation of the stuttering form of the second half of last season, when we limped into the Play-Offs with six wins in our final 17 league games having been pushing for top spot in mid-February.
A young squad with undoubted potential needs time to find its feet but inconsistency remains a major problem, especially away from home. We hoped that Holman could be the fox-in-the-box Waddock has been craving for over two years, but the lack of a prolific goalscorer remains the key issue.
Harrogate Town – Hal-Boxhall Dockree
Chesterfield are the visitors on Saturday, how’s the Harrogate team shaping up?
Town will be without forwards Jordan Thewlis (hamstring) and Dom Knowles (foot) on Saturday, though the duo are Simon Weaver’s only injury concerns.
Top scorer Jack Muldoon returned to the side on Tuesday night and claimed his seventh of the season, alongside Mark Beck who also got on the score sheet, showing early signs of a promising partnership in attack.
In defence, Kelvin Langmead was left out of the starting line-up for the first time since the opening day, with Ryan Fallowfield coming into the side at right back, meaning Warren Burrell shifted back to centre back, though with Chesterfield set to pose a significant aerial threat, Langmead’s strength and aerial ability may be preferred.
Who’s making Harrogate tick at the moment?
The past few matches have seen Joe Leesley return to his best, the 2017/18 National League North Player of the Year claimed his first goal of the season with a memorable effort at Dagenham, before helping his side’s cause with two assists against Barrow on Tuesday night.
James Belshaw remains in fine form between the sticks, while Simon Weaver’s first choice central midfield duo of Josh Falkingham and Jack Emmett are starting to rediscover their best form after both suffering injury setbacks this season.
Town’s main goal threat continues to be through Summer signing Jack Muldoon who, after a couple of matches out of the starting line-up, bagged his seventh goal on Tuesday night with a clinical strike into the top corner.
Thoughts on the step up to the National League…
Harrogate have exceeded expectations so far, and to be within touching distance of top spot in November is credit to all involved. Simon Weaver’s side started the season with three successive draws as the squad acclimatised to the new division, before an incredible run of seven wins from eight propelled them to the top of the National League.
The unbeaten start to came to an end with a 3-0 defeat against Leyton Orient, but Town bounced back with seven points from nine against Wrexham, Boreham Wood and Ebbsfleet. A second defeat of the season at struggling Dagenham came as a surprise, but Tuesday night’s 4-2 win against Barrow suggests this was a blip in what has been an impressive debut campaign at this level.
Dover Athletic – Jason Burns
Maidenhead travel to Crabble in a big clash at the bottom. Are there any burning issues with injuries or selection for Dover?
Boss Andy Hessenthaler has already started revamping his squad in a bid to lift Whites’ out of the bottom four. Arriving Into Crabble during the last few weeks have been midfielders Stuart Lewis (Maidstone), Jai Reason (Chelmsford) and Bobby-Joe Taylor (Bromley loan), defenders Joshua Debayo (Cheltenham on loan) and Ryan Huckle (Gillingham on loan), and goalkeeper Lee Worgan (Maidstone)
And Athletic’s new boss has also released Aryan Tajbaksh and Ejiro Okosieme, while Jack Connors and Dave Smith have joined Hampton & Richmond Borough and Sevenoaks Town respectively on loan. Plus centre-back Connor Essam has announced he will be leaving Dover, citing a new job as the reason he is unable to commit to daytime training with Dover.
Who will Dover be relying on to climb out of the relegation zone?
With Essam moving on, Hessenthaler will likely turn to Moussa Diarra to shore up the second leakiest defence in the National League. The giant French defender is back from injury and his effectiveness in both boxes could be crucial for Dover.
Thoughts on a difficult season so far…
Rock-bottom of the league, it’s been a miserable campaign so far for Dover fans, but hope has come in the form of the returning Andy Hessenthaler as manager. Currently seven points from safety, supporters will be hoping he is the man to lead their side over the 50-point safety barrier in a great escape that even a certain Steve McQueen might have struggled with.
And if anyone can steamroll their way up the league ladder, then it is the Hess Express. The no-nonsense boss was evidently unhappy with back-to-back defeats to relegation rivals Braintree and Dagenham, so will be demanding more from his squad starting with this weekend’s clash against the also out-of-form Magpies.
Saturday’s National League fixtures:
AFC Fylde vs Leyton Orient – NLP STAR GAME
Aldershot Town vs Braintree Town
Barnet vs Maidstone United – NLP STAR GAME
Bromley vs Hartlepool United – NLP STAR GAME
Dover Athletic vs Maidenhead United
Eastleigh vs Salford City – NLP STAR GAME
Ebbsfleet United vs Barrow
Harrogate Town vs Chesterfield – NLP STAR GAME
Havant & Waterlooville vs FC Halifax Town
Solihull Moors vs Boreham Wood
Sutton United vs Dagenham & Redbridge
Wrexham vs Gateshead – NLP STAR GAME
