With just five days to go, it’s time to look at what we can expect from our team this season, as we move towards a Community Club. YES, I say move towards a Community Club, because until our Owner actually hands the shares over to the Community Club, then he is still in charge and he can make whatever decision he wants to make.
But let’s focus on our team and what we expect will be a very challenging season.
It’s time for some truth, we are going to struggle, despite a more powerful goal-scoring forward line with Ben Wright joining the young and improving Aaron Jarvis up front, the defence looks a lot lighter now that long-time club stalwart David Ray has departed for pastures new. With midfielder come defender Matt Partridge also gone, the backbone of the club will need to be rebuilt behind the likes of incoming Shane Hollamby and midfield hard-man Charlie Kennedy.
Maybe the back-four will gel early and surprise us all, but the likelihood is it won’t.
The loss of Nana Owusu, Aaron Redford, right back Van Cooten, let alone ‘Big Dave’ Alex Tokarczyk, will also be difficult to replace and with a list of players like the Atkinson brothers, Ashleigh Artwell, Sam Deadfield and Johnson-Schuster still uncertain, then relying on players coming mainly from the academy must be worrying not only for Terry Brown, but also us supporters. After all, we will be paying to watch these players, try and keep us up this season.
Also, as of today, we have no keeper signed for this weekend. Or a back-up either!!
There is some good news with the signing of Dan Bayliss, who has shown some real promise for a player of his age and looks a good threat at corners, and with the improving George Bennett, there are some good signs, but unless we start well, we could be fighting an uphill battle, even with just one relegation spot this season.
Therefore, the signing of those players listed earlier, must be paramount to our quest in staying in this league, whilst the Community Club becomes the future for this great club.
So when the team comes out this Saturday afternoon against our first opponents Frome Town, we need to get behind whoever will be in that starting lining-up and give them the support they are surely going to need this season.
Martin French
BTFC Supporters Club Chairman
English 
Polish 