HOWELL’S MR FIX-IT AGAIN!
Bognor must replace lost stars
BOGNOR Regis manager Jamie Howell says he doesn’t know what to expect this season after another rebuilding job in the wake of high-profile player departures.
The Rocks have been victims of their own success this summer.
Last season, Howell guided the south coast club to a first-ever FA Trophy semi-final and to within a point of champions Hampton & Richmond Borough before suffering defeat in the play-off semi-finals against Dulwich Hamlet.
Bognor will be without 60goal partnership Jason Prior and Alfie Rutherford, both snapped up by league rivals Havant & Waterlooville, while midfielder Stuart Green has also moved on.
Centre-back Craig Robson and goalkeeper Grant Smith also landed moves to National League clubs Dagenham & Redbridge and Boreham Wood respectively.
In an attempt to plug the gap, Howell has signed former Rocks midfielders Darren Budd and James Fraser, and ex-Brighton academy striker Jimmy Muitt.
Howell, who made more than 400 appearances for Bognor before becoming player-manager in 2007, gave an honest assessment of their current situation.
He told The NLP:“The nucleus of the team has gone on to pastures new. It is difficult to replace them with real quality, but we’ve brought in some good younger players and we’ll have to start again.
“Jimmy has been out for about a year with a bad knee injury. I’m expecting him back in the next couple of weeks and he’s got the potential to be a really good player.
“It’s very frustrating because it seems we have to rebuild our team year on year, but it’s a challenge I’m looking forward to.
“We don’t have bundles of money, compared to some clubs, so we need to get in younger players who want to prove themselves and work hard.”
Having come so close last season, there could still be a feeling of what might have been ahead of their season opener against Lowestoft.
“I’d have loved it if we could have kept the players we had last year and had a real go again,” said Howell.
Affinity
“That’s not the case, so we have to go back to the drawing board.
“If I’m honest, there could be a bit of a hangover. I think the fans are a bit disappointed when you lose a lot of players they like and ones that have a good affinity with the club.
“The defence is solid, the midfield will do well, but at the end of the day it’s about putting the ball in the back of the net.
“I don’t think I’ve got a specific target for us. I’m just very relaxed about it and I want to make sure we start as well as we can. It might take us a bit of time to get going but I’m sure we’ll get there in the end.
“The club’s made tremendous strides in the last couple of years. I don’t want us to go back to where we were seven or eight years ago. We’ve worked hard to get a good standard and we have to work even harder to maintain it.”