MORECAMBE

LAST SEASON

LEAGUE TWO 18th FA CUP First Round

LEAGUE CUP First Round TOP SCORER Aaron Collins (8)

FANFILE DAVID FREEAR @Shrimpsofficial

The big talking point among the fans is trying to keep together the squad that completed last season relatively successfully in the end.

This season will be different because after nine years, we’ve finally learned how to win at home. Our poor home form since moving to the Globe Arena has always been an issue; it appears we’ve solved that particular problem. The signature local dish is the club’s excellent chicken, ham and leek pies, sold inside the ground.

The other recommendation for away fans is to visit the prom and see the Eric Morecambe statue.

I won’t be happy unless we can keep attacking and play two upfront, as we did from February onwards, which led to us climbing up the table.

The one change I’d make to the club would be to have a billionaire owner, so Jim Bentley [below] could compete on at least a level playing field with most other clubs. I can dream, right? Did you know that we’ve had just five managers since 1989, and Jim is the longest-serving of all 92 league clubs. Our key player will be Sam Lavelle [above], a cracking young centre-back. He’s a great leader, he reads the game well and he can pass with both feet. Our most underrated player is the ex-wales U19 international Jordan Cranston, who arrived as a full-back and became a goalscoring midfielder. Look out for Lamin Jagne, a young lad who broke through last season and showed promise, but was then seriously injured. He’s a prospect.

The best away ground is Bradford’s. The fans’ opinion of the gaffer is that Jim performs miracles in making us competitive each year with small crowds and a limited budget. He builds strong team unity and togetherness, and turns players’ careers around. His inability to sign the players he wants is a frustration, but you can hardly call it a weakness.

We’ll finish halfway up, if we can get [new signing] Cole Stockton scoring and win more often at home. But at the time of writing, we still have some huge gaps in the squad.