NEWBIES HAVE HAD IT TOUGH!
THE newly-promoted clubs into this season’s National League have far from had it their own way.
As things stand, all four – Ebbsfleet United, AFC Fylde, Oxford City and Kidderminster Harriers – occupy the relegation zone.
In recent seasons we’ve seen many clubs moving up to NonLeague’s top table hold their own. But it’s not easy.
Perhaps a big reason behind the four new boys’ struggles this year is, generally speaking, the clubs in the division are settled.
Southend United have had their well-documented issues but now they are coming through the other side of those with the new takeover, there isn’t really a club you’d say are totally out of control. And that will have made things even tougher.
Of the promoted four, AFC Fylde have already changed their manager and, this week, Kidderminster Harriers moved on from Russ Penn, inset left.
Football management is a funny business. Sometimes it’s almost as if you’re better off not being successful.
I feel for Russ. Two years ago he took the club within seconds of beating West Ham in the FA Cup fourth round. If David Moyes hadn’t brought on Declan Rice then they probably would have won.
They finished fourth in the National League North but missed out in the play-offs. Last season, despite losing some key plays in the previous summer, they won promotion via that route.
If they were still in the National League North, they’d probably be in the top three and Russ would still be in the job.
As it is, former Hull City and Southend manager Phil Brown, right, has been tasked with trying to lead them to safety.
It wasn’t a move many expected but perhaps the club are looking at his vast experience. Maybe things didn’t go right for him last time he was in this division with Southend. But, let’s not forget, he has won promotion to the Premier League in his management career. He’s at Kiddy until the end of the season initially and will know he needs to steady the ship quickly. Ebbsfleet’s struggles have surprised me the most of the current bottom four. Like many, I had them down as a bit of a dark horse this season. I covered their games a few times last season and there was a real sense of their identity and confidence.
The style of football that was so successful for them last season hasn’t quite clicked this year and I’ve seen manager Dennis Kutrieb say this week they are happy to switch their gameplan.
Swinging
Put simply, they were getting caught out too many times at the back – their goals conceded record is joint with Oxford and only behind Hartlepool’s – and they haven’t been scoring the goals they’d have expected with only Dom Poleon really flying.
Fylde, again, weren’t good enough defensively at the start of the season. It was like a boxer going out swinging but getting whacked back on the chin – four at Chesterfield, three to Wealdstone, three to Hartlepool, Altrincham and Dagenham. They were too open. The last two games we’ve seen the other side of their game with wins against Rochdale and Hartlepool.
Oxford also came up with a fantastic style of football under Ross Jenkins. Let’s get it right, they’re punching above their weight against nearly all full-time clubs. For them, fifth bottom is the goal. And they’re not all that far off it. Only three points separate them from Woking and they’re six behind York City, who have spent a fair chunk.
Step 2 to Step 1 is a tough bridge to cross. It’s got all the hallmarks of the Championship to the Premier League. But there’s lots of football still to be played.