BigTime wrote:
Not to put a dampener on our recruitment but I’m thinking must wins to stay up: home and away Hunslet, Doncaster and Barrow at home and possibly Halifax who appear not to have a pot anymore as well. Oldham at home maybe although they appear to be in funds unlike ourselves. Perhaps we can bag a couple of fringe players from Wigan or some such. It’s all looking a little grim. Wonder what happened to Boafo, Davies et al. They’d be a better bet than random trialiists one assumes. What on earth was the point in signing Boafo last year- we didn’t play him and we haven’t retained him for the Championship where I think he would go really well and add some X factor.
Really thoughtful post, and I completely get where you’re coming from. It’s tough to stay optimistic when recruitment feels like it’s lagging and the ‘must-win’ games start piling up in our minds before the season even kicks off.
You make a good point about targeting teams like Hunslet, Doncaster, and Barrow—those matches are going to be absolutely pivotal if we want to stay up. As for Halifax, their financial situation could work to our advantage, but we can’t take anything for granted. Oldham, on the other hand, seems to be pulling resources together, which makes their games a bit trickier than they might have been.
On recruitment, the idea of bringing in fringe players from clubs like Wigan could be a smart move—especially if we can find hungry, underutilized talent. But you’re spot-on with the frustration around Boafo and Davies. It’s baffling that we didn’t give them more opportunities, especially Boafo, who had the potential to thrive in the Championship and bring that X factor you mentioned.
The trialist's situation is always a gamble. Maybe the club sees it as a low-cost, high-reward option, but it’s hard to trust that approach when the results haven’t been there. Let’s hope there’s a strategy behind the scenes we’re not seeing yet.
I share your concerns, but maybe some late signings or loan deals could turn things around. Fingers crossed!
