Football: Lewes v West Ham

The first game of the season, a friendly against a Fulham side which fielded a number of million pound plus signings, was a useful way to have a first look at the new players I signed over the summer, and I was pleased with what I saw. Last year I added a lot of new faces to the squad, and I’ve kept the core of that team together. But you can’t win the race standing still, the league is getting more competitive every year, so I needed to add some fresh blood to raise our quality a notch.
Of the four players I’ve got to sign for Lewes this season, three started the game. Kirk Watts had a bit of a groin, so I didn’t risk him, but we all know what he can do, because he played here for a period until the end of 2005/6, and is a great favourite of the fans. Any player who can play down both wings at pace with skill is going to be popular. He’s a nice lad too, good in the dressing room.
I want to play fast, attacking football with two wingers this season, and to have two in the team you need three in the squad. So alongside Kirk and Juke Box (Andy Drury) I’ve signed Dale Binns. He’s a fast, skilful winger who’s been a real handful against us in the past. After about twenty minutes of the game he exploded into life, setting up Juke Box’s goal (the only one of the game) and continued to trouble their right-back, who played for the first team in the Premiership last season, all game. I was very pleased with the lad, especially when he stopped the ball rolling out into touch with his head. I taught him that move. The goal, just before the half hour, was a good one. The ball came in to Boothy, who took two touches and knocked it wide to Binnsy. Binnsy laid it back into the path of Juke Box, who cut through the ball, driving it into the bottom corner from 25 yards. That’s one of the most difficult techniques to master, hitting the ball when it’s going across you: usually it ends up going back where it started from.