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The Crowing Cockerel
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The Crowing Cockerel Proficient

The Crowing Cockerel

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Heading in to Step 2 and it looks like we may get our business done a little earlier this season.

I may have missed news, but to date:

Rhys Forster has committed for next season.

Billy Leonard has joined us from Hendon and looks a very exciting attacking midfielder who sources say could go on to play even higher up the pyramid.

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lovely stuff

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There is obviously a difference between signing league forms for next season and being under contract for next season. I think in previous seasons we have only had one or two players under binding contracts for financial reasons. I expect Wylie to be under proper contract again. Does the 7-day approach apply in the National League as well for players not under binding contract?

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The Crowing Cockerel Proficient

The Crowing Cockerel

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As I understand it Wyllie was under contract until June (with an option for a further year) so everything crossed he is offered - and accepts - the further year. He could probably get more money at another Step 2 club, but that may come down to whether he actually wants to go full-time and give up his current job which I believe is in a special needs school.

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The Crowing Cockerel Proficient

The Crowing Cockerel

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Looking at this list: 

You notice that even the likes of Chesham are recruiting players with Step 2 experience. Its a shame we couldn't get Ryan Blackman back, but I'm thinking it could be a very long season if we don't find a way of bringing in someone of that ilk.

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3spirit Mentor

3spirit

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19 hours ago, The Crowing Cockerel said:

Looking at this list: 

You notice that even the likes of Chesham are recruiting players with Step 2 experience. Its a shame we couldn't get Ryan Blackman back, but I'm thinking it could be a very long season if we don't find a way of bringing in someone of that ilk.

Slough fan, here in peace ! Good luck to Enfield Town this season. Billy Leonard is a good signing for you lot.

On your point,CrowingCockerel,about signing players of Step 2 experience Slough are having the same problem because these players are not cheap. I think a lot of teams with the smaller budgets are having to shop around the lower leagues this season for talent so don't think you're the only team struggling to get the right players in.

When Slough came into this division via the play offs we had already bought in some NLS quality players the season before promotion.This certainly helped when we did finally get promotion. This season we've lost a few of our best players to National Premier clubs. 

Enfield have a good manager in Gavin McPherson and seem to have the nucleus of players to form a close knit unit but whether you'll have enough to survive in this division is a hard one to call.

Slough had a very good season last time around but this season I think we could be in for a struggle unless we can get a few better players in [in key areas for us]. For Enfield hopefully you can do an Aveley, they had a storming first season in the NLS after promotion and caught out many a good NLS side. They spent most of the season in the upper places of the division.They never changed loads of their promotion winning team so it can be done. All the best to you. Looking forward to the Slough v Enfield match to cross swords again after what has been awhile.

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Barney Collaborator

Barney

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Thanks 3spirit, I was going to post something similar - ultimately we've gone from being a side with a mid to upper budget in the Isthmian Premier to I'd guess one of the lowest budgets in this division. We probably aren't going to be picking up any/many experienced/established players at this level, as there are plenty of clubs competing for the services of the better ones, who can ultimately pay more than we can. I think we need to be quite astute with our signings, picking up better players or good prospects from the leagues below, and relying on good scouting and the right balance of players who can buy into the system and do a job for us.

I think anyone who expects this season to be anything other than a fight to retain our place in the division are unrealistic, and I really hope that if we are in a dogfight that people are pragmatic and don't start questioning the board or management - we're now very much a small fish, and I'd expect us to be one of the bookies favourites to go back down. With all that said, we have, in my view, absolutely the correct management team for this league - tactically astute, setting up to be defensively compact and hard to break down, doing our homework on opponents and having everyone in the squad buy into the system with an excellent work ethic are the things that might just get us over the line in tight games, and get enough points on the board. It'll be a different mindset to the last 10 years or so, where we were disappointed not to win games, but also worth saying that the 3 points for any win will be even more valuable.

As people have said previously, we're right to be ambitious and to want to test ourselves out at the next level, and move the club forwards. Maintaining the status quo at the step below season after season is a lot less exciting than at least trying in the division above, so I'm feeling a mixture of nerves, excitement and curiosity at how we'll get on in the upcoming season.

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lovely stuff

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1. Who have been the stand out players in the Isthmian Premier over the last few seasons?

2. Are any of those players based near enough to Enfield to consider joining our squad?

3. Would they want to play at a higher level, even though the money will probably be no more than they were on in the league below. 

We should be able to have our pick of step 3 players as long as no other clubs at our level come in for them, and if we can match the money they are currently on

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13 hours ago, Comet said:

Cass and Marcus any news? 

Gavin indicated that Jake Cass may think about retiring due to the amount of serious injuries he is now regularly picking up. Marcus will no doubt be on a proper contract so that takes a bit more time to sort out than standard league forms, but i expect him to be playing for us in the National League next season.

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The Crowing Cockerel Proficient

The Crowing Cockerel

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4 minutes ago, lovely stuff said:

Gavin indicated that Jake Cass may think about retiring due to the amount of serious injuries he is now regularly picking up. Marcus will no doubt be on a proper contract so that takes a bit more time to sort out than standard league forms, but i expect him to be playing for us in the National League next season.

Presumably there's the distinct possibility of a club higher up the pyramid making us an offer for Marcus - the terms of which would have to be acceptable to all parties (i.e. assuming its a club in the National League or above - does Marcus actually want to go full-time?). There might even be more than one offer! I've no inside info, but given he won the golden boot with 30+ goals in the season and has been widely identified as a stand-out player at Step 3, it wouldn't be a surprise.

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1 hour ago, The Crowing Cockerel said:

Presumably there's the distinct possibility of a club higher up the pyramid making us an offer for Marcus - the terms of which would have to be acceptable to all parties (i.e. assuming its a club in the National League or above - does Marcus actually want to go full-time?). There might even be more than one offer! I've no inside info, but given he won the golden boot with 30+ goals in the season and has been widely identified as a stand-out player at Step 3, it wouldn't be a surprise.

I think there would have been half a dozen clubs at NLS level that would have shown an interest in signing him. Luckily we are now in that league so it would not be a move upwards for Marcus in joining another NLS club. With regard to the league above, i doubt Marcus would be a regular starter early on and he may well drift and be loaned out from club to club in the way Mo has been. 

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The Crowing Cockerel Proficient

The Crowing Cockerel

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1 hour ago, lovely stuff said:

I think there would have been half a dozen clubs at NLS level that would have shown an interest in signing him. Luckily we are now in that league so it would not be a move upwards for Marcus in joining another NLS club. With regard to the league above, i doubt Marcus would be a regular starter early on and he may well drift and be loaned out from club to club in the way Mo has been. 

Speaking of Mo - anyone know whether his contract at Havant has now ended?

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The Crowing Cockerel Proficient

The Crowing Cockerel

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Staying:

Rhys Forster

Mickey Parcell

Joe Payne

Lewis Taaffe

Ollie Knight

Bernie Tanner

Reece Beckles-Richards

Dylan Adjei-Hersey

Scott Thomas

Taylor McKenzie

Sam Youngs

Contracted:

Marcus Wyllie

Joining:

Billy Leonard [Hendon]

Jack Smith [Dartford]

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PinkPanther Newbie

PinkPanther

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On 03/06/2024 at 13:19, lovely stuff said:

1. Who have been the stand out players in the Isthmian Premier over the last few seasons?

2. Are any of those players based near enough to Enfield to consider joining our squad?

3. Would they want to play at a higher level, even though the money will probably be no more than they were on in the league below. 

We should be able to have our pick of step 3 players as long as no other clubs at our level come in for them, and if we can match the money they are currently on

There will definitely be younger players at Step 3 who are ambitious to move up a level, even for the same money.  Billericay have just lost a couple they wished to retain, Adam Leathers and Alfie Cerulli, to Aveley and Hemel Hempstead respectively.  I doubt either of those clubs have a bigger budget than Billericay.

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