Early days – but Rocks fans have reasons for optimism
No-one goes to the first friendly of pre-season expecting to find out all the answers to their questions about how the season is going to pan out.
All you can hope for is some positive signs – and the Rocks certainly got those, despite losing 3-1 when Havant & Waterlooville visited Nyewood Lane for a first match of a new campaign for Jack Pearce and Robbie Blake’s men.
Bognor’s line-up was a mixture of trusted troops who the home faithful know all about, and some new additions they don’t.
What a crowd of around 300 saw was a decent, hard-working display by Bognor, though not one good enough to stop a pacy and powerful Havant side – now managed by Paul Doswell and containing ten new men of their own in the starting line-up – from running out winners.
They also saw a fine performance from a player who may become Dan Lincoln’s replacement between the sticks.
It looks increasingly unlikely that Lincoln will be back for another Rocks campaign but if ex-havant keeper Charlie Searle fancies taking the job, he did his prospects no harm here, with one or two of his close-range saves top-class.
Elsewhere there was a trialist at left-back – Jobi Griggs – who was solid until a knee injury ended his night early.
Freddie Read and Emmet Dunn looked like they might have the makings of a dynamic pairing in midfield, though you’d expect Doug Tuck to come into that euqation once he returns from a break. And a frontline of returnee Stuart Green, Dan Smith and Jimmy Muitt will surely cause problems for many defences in the Isthmian premier.
It was comforting to see James Crane back at rightback and while most of the youngsters who came on in the second half had little time to impress, one – Junior Kamara – caught the eye with some sprints down the left and a corner that led to Bognor’s consolation goal, converted from close in by Tommy Leigh.
By the time Leigh – brother of Rocks left-back Ashton – struck, the result was pretty much beyond doubt.
Havant, by then, led 3-0 thanks to a double by Jonah Ayunga and a Josh Taylor goal, all within the first hour.
There were a couple of injury setbacks that must have had home management and fans thinking ‘not again’.
Central defender Ed Sanders had to hobble off early in the second half and when Griggs followed a short time later, you could have excused anyone of a Bognor persuasion thinking back to last season and the scarcely believable run of injuries to defenders that disrupted the backline.
In all the home fans saw 21 different Bognor players in action. They’ll see most of them again and probably one or two other additions before the serious stuff starts on August 10. But for now, at least, there’s plenty to whet white and green appetites.