TT BLOG
Chris Wade – @tufcchris
Buckland Athletic (a)
56 days. That is the time that has passed since our hopes and dreams were shattered for another year the sun. An afternoon that felt like it was going to deliver the dream only delivered more heartache and were we again facing next week’s fixture announcement knowing the same teams await us with a sprinkling of new opponents for us to explore for the first time.
But football, as in life, doesn’t allow you to look back. You can’t influence what happened yesterday but you can what happens tomorrow. And that has very much been the flavour of Jimmy Ball’s public interactions since May. He has had this time to tweak his squad into what he wants it to look like, and it looks ready for action.
I’m pleased to hear his view that he wanted his squad ready for this time. Signing players throughout the pre season period is sometimes unavoidable to get the primary targets that you want, but it can lead to uncertainty and a lack of collective training. So the late addition of Deon Moore appears to have given Jimmy five full weeks to work with the whole squad, having already been back for the last two.
The retention of Moore is the headline of the summer so far. The clamour for his retention was significant after ending the season with 8 goals in 5 games. And after what appeared to be the end to the story last week, he has now signed on the dotted line. Whilst his signing appears a major moment, only time will tell if he can deliver across 46 games what he delivered so affectively at the end of last season.
The goalkeeper situation is brand new, and exciting to go with it. Toby Savin (insert pun here) appears a solid choice as number one. Over 100 appearances in the EFL should stand him in good stead for us this season. Zak Baker joins from Plymouth Argyle and looks to be an interesting addition. Many Greens fans wanted to see him start during periods of last season, and he will want to pressure on Savin as this season gets underway.
The full back areas also look fresh and exciting. Dom Bernard knows the level from his time at Weston, and Tyler Hill and Kian Jenkins look exciting options on the opposite flank. How Jordan Thomas fits in will be curious, given he was overlooked at the end of last season in favour of central midfield players. The addition of Jake Wannell from Yeovil Town (shock) gives us real depth as I type. This maybe pending any potential exit for Sam Dreyer and a change of shape. He played 40 games in the league above last season. You can’t argue with that.
Last summer’s main area of focus was the midfield, but that remains untouched with skipper Matt Worthington, Nash Sundire and Dan Hayfield in the engine room. Sean Robertson joins the exciting attacking talent from last season, and we will hopefully have goals aplenty from messers Young, Morgan and Dennis again. The striking options look exciting too, with Moore joining the rehabbing Cody Cooke and Torquay fan Callum Morton. Isaac Westerndorf is a player that I am excited to see this season. He looks to be full of pace, power and excitement, something I suspect Plainmoor will enjoy.
The squad heads to Buckland Athletic for the first minutes of pre season. As in 2025, it looks set to be another hot day to enjoy, at a venue that is always welcoming and fun. This is the start of the programme with eight pre season matches for Jimmy to hone what he wants for the promotion charge.
To the VX3 stadium for game one…
COYY – Chris
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