With the season just days away, we turn it over to you to give us your predictions and thoughts ahead of our return to the Northern Premier League Premeir Division.
Lewis Parker – I think with the recruitment we’ve done this summer there’s no reason why we can’t be challenging at the top of this league, worst case scenario play offs. I think Benedetti will thrive this season what a coup he is, absolute gem of a signing. I think the mixture of experience and youth is outstanding the only thing I’d of hoped would’ve been an experienced striker however that’s football, you can’t fault what Steve and co have done this summer. Let’s hope I’m proved right!
Michael Soulsby – We all hope that we may discover a hidden gem amongst the young players we’ve signed from down the pyramid. I feel the first couple months will be a struggle but there is hope we’ll warm up and perhaps a couple more senior faces turn up to help everyone. I’m keen to see how Ben Milburn and Billy Gordon get on this season, particularly!
Sam Haldane – This season I think Blyth will ended up finishing in the bottom half of the table with a few flirts of fighting to stop up but in the end we will sneak away from it. We will have a few good spells and bad ones too just hopefully not like losing 10 in a row like we have been doing the past few seasons.
The main stand out player for this season will be Lucas Reed as he seems like a midfielder that can do the dirty work but also give an attacking threat. I think other players will have small spells here and there but I think Reed will be consistent for majority of the season.
Graham Usher – Expectations are pretty low given this summers ‘events’ and pre season results.
Not seen any friendlies but what I’ve been told it does not bode well
Fully expecting another relegation battle, what’s the saying… ‘expect the worst and anything else is a bonus’. Recruitment looks poor. Experienced players, like Deverdics, Woods, & Donaldson need to step up and likes of Reed and Milburn need to show their full potential.
Lack of experienced centre half alongside Milburn is a concern. Forwards are pretty much an inexperienced bunch cobbled together in last week or so. Not having seen any of the players other than last seasons left overs, unable to pick a stand out player.
Owen Sellar – For a start. I don’t think nobby will last past November, doesn’t seem to know what’s going on unfortunately. Hoping stockdale can pull something out the hat and get the players playing like they should because is evident Nobby can’t get it right as for what we’ve seen. In terms of How the league goes. I honeslty believe if nothing changes then we will be looking at a similar points tally to bishop stortford last season.
I’m hoping I’m wrong on this but there isn’t much hope. I’m not sure I can actually pick a player right now that will stand out. I’m hoping things will get better. I’m hoping Spartans can get it moving forward again. But most of all irfan will have to do some magic to get the fans back on board because the way things are going is ridiculous.
Kev Walker – I think we will really struggle. Another year with a team made up largely of kids who are not wanted by the other teams local to us, notably SS. And like recent years, too many on loan who could be recalled at any point and land us in the shite, like Cedric last season. Also a few on their last pay cheque.
I am hoping to be wrong, but on paper, and off pre-season results, I can’t see anything but a long painful season at the wrong end of the table.
Martin Hunter – Prediction: Relegation (or at least flirting with it all season). Aim for the season is depressingly just to survive.
Player to watch: if they stay fit (and even stay at the club) I think Woods and Milburn will be a decent signings – I can see there being a massive turnover of players this year, so think the squad that ends the season will be different to the one that starts it.
Cole Williams – To sum it up quickly. Relegated (or at least fighting it till the end).
I’ve missed a fair bit of pre-season with holidays and other things going on, but from what I’ve seen, I don’t think we have the quality, physicality, or even the heart throughout the squad to fight for 90+ mins every week.
I’d love to be proved wrong but I think the huge lack of players in their “prime” so to speak will be massive. It’s a relatively young squad, and the experience we do have may now lack the legs and fitness they had once before, whilst they do retain their technical ability and can hopefully have a great impression on the younger lot.
I’m hoping to see Lucas Reed come on leaps and bounds, and from what I’ve heard, Dan Savage has all the aspects of being a very threatening player for us. The last few years have shown how crucial Deverdics can be too, and I think once again he will probably be one of our better and definitely most reliable players.
Davey Hanson – I predict we will finish lower bottom half but survive just. Stand outs will be our keeper as hes gonna get plenty of practice, busy season for whoever is in goal. Other stand outs be Milburn and I think the youngins up front will shine towards end of season when loads of minites under there belts .. we may yet get surprized by someone stepping up a level or 2.
Geoff Kay – After preseason it’s abit of a worry, an unknown so to speak. I think Basford, Mickleover and Prescott will struggle, so that’s three already down maybe. When we get a few games under our belts playing together I can’t see us doing an BPA., so anywhere from 12th to 16th I reckon. I also think Milburn, Reed and Savage will prove solid signings.
Stuart Grimshaw – Where to even start. Going into the season I’m not exactly filled with hope. Don’t think with the current squad we have any chance of going up. I reckon as the squad sits today, we’ll finish in and around 12th. I’m hoping the 2 lads we’ve brought in on loan from shields can bring some much needed attacking output. I’m hoping as we get into the season some players in the NLN teams around us become available. But without another 5 or 6 good signings we will struggle this year.
Matt Justice – Shite.
Jon Temple – On what I have seen in pre-season I’m just hoping for a season of consolation, the team is missing a few players that can cut it in the Northern Premier, but if and it’s a BIG if we can get some solid players in like a nippy striker would do wonders. The one playe that will stand out for me would have to be Ben Milburn he looks a good solid Central Defender.
Joe Hastings – I think this season is going to be an incredibly tough one. We simply haven’t made the quality signings required to make any sort of challenge for a playoff place or higher. The season will start really slow, I can seriously see us being cut well adrift at the bottom by Christmas. Whether or not we have enough quality or the team gels and develops in time to avoid a second successive relegation remains to be seen. At this stage, it doesn’t look promising. Too many young lads with not enough senior experience in a nasty physical league, we will get bullied.
Stand out players could be Max Storey, if he gets some minutes,confidence and most importantly service, he could shine through in what is a severely underwhelming squad.
Pat & John Johnson – Both of us are concerned for Spartans this season. We think we’ll be lucky to stay up and have no prospect of promotion this season. Tbh with the cost per match and the dismal preseason form, we’ll be selective over what games we attend, sadly. The stand out player might be Billy Gordon, but he’s just a kid.
Jack Morton – Fighting above relegation, poor recruitment considering the clear out needed from last season and comparing recruitment to local teams around us. Stand out player this season will probably be Ben Milburn at the back.
Tommy Pollard – Think everyone would agree in saying that pre season on and off the pitch has been so poor, expectations have reached a new low. I’d be happy if we stay up at this rate but I think we will around 16-17th.
Really interested to see the two new signings from shields and how they get on judging off what shields fans have said abt them. Other then that no standouts from me, more intrigued to how the squad as a whole will tackle the challenge of the season ahead and the expectations that come with it
Dan ‘Pieface’ Haldane – Personally I think Blyth will survive and finish 13-17 as I believe there are 5 worse teams in this league than blyth but it will be a struggle in the first month. A couple of player who I think will stand out are Lucas Reed and Ben Milburn.
Ben Savage – Not got much hope going into the season, can see us fighting relegation yet again. It’s good that we have got a squad together but lacking quality around the pitch. I think Joao gomes and dan savage are 2 players I’m looking toward to watching, from what I’ve heard they have had a canny pre season and hopefully offer something going forward.
John Spence – I have a very open mind as see how the team is going to perform this season. I only saw the Gateshead friendly so didn’t really get a chance of seeing the final squad, I’m actually looking forward to the Ashton game to get an idea of Nobby’s starting line up and I think we will have see how the first few games pan out to see if Nobby and the players can adapt to this league.
Craig Whiteman – Fuck me, where do I begin?
After the Brackley game (neé, surrender) I was well of the opinion that the club needed to be torn down and rebuilt. Well they’ve done the first part, but have employed some cowboys for the second part. The Heed have had our pants down over the McGowan deal, our Director of Fuckall has been found out at the worst possible time, and it’s left us with:
A goalkeeper whos a fractional improvement over our 19 year old, 5”9 prospect. A defence so leaky that we haven’t just taken on water, we’re the Titan submersible.A midfield so old that having them run 90 minutes will be the worst display of elder abuse since the pandemic. And a forward line who are going to get bullied so badly it’s going to give me flashbacks to my years at BCC.
All aboard HMS Piss the League.
Dan Hume – I’m still very unsure on how I feel about this season, probably the same as the last few seasons bottom half of the table, hopefully a few new names will strengthen the squad, I think isiah cornet will be our stand out player.
Chris Heatley – It seems strange to be going into the season feeling nostalgic for a time when we could’ve consoled ourselves by saying “pre-season was a mixed bag but let’s see what happens”. Starting a campaign with a cobbled together side, many of whom (if they’ve featured at all) have been played out of position and seemingly with no clear tactical guidance is nothing short of scandalous for Blyth Spartans – long gone is any goodwill towards the new owners and their ambiguous plans. At least we have an assistant now who should have a bit of nous at this level, though not if you listen to fans of his previous employer (but who cares what those southern softies of York think anyway).
May have been more of a positive if he’d been in the dugout for a couple of friendlies rather than a couple of training sessions however. Anyway, other positives… we now have a squad, even if they don’t know each other; and unlike most people I’ve spoken to I actually liked Connor Pani on his first loan spell and thought he should’ve been given more of a run – apart from anything else we can always do with the height. Also, if he gets the right partner and a decent GK behind him then Millburn has potential – and if Woods keeps out of the refs notebook when hoying the tackles in then he adds much needed steel. Other than that, I fear I’ll be relying on the crack, Alan Raine’s jokes and the improved alcohol selection at the clubhouse to keep us going, but hopefully I’ll be proven wrong…
Tom Barton – I think it’s going to be a tough season for Spartans, coming into the league in a fairly unprepared state with just about (if not) the poorest pre season I’ve seen. You’d like to think that some of the younger lads could kick on, Milburn and Reed looking the most likely department on that respect.
The goalkeeping position is a worry, as is the lack of experience in some positions, but I think it’ll be mid table obscurity this season, if not worse. If we can get off to a good start that will help massively with fan feeling, a poor start and things could turn ugly quickly
Craig Nicholson – Even with me being am optimist I still feel mid table is the best we will do. Recruitment has obvs been slower than we needed it to be but the players are starting to come in now. They need time to get to know each other and develop ways if playing which will take time. Hopefully the experience of Woods, Reed and Donaldson should be enough and I’ve really liked the look of Reed.
The player I’m most excited to see is Charlie Aitken. His performance against Benfield really impressed me and his ability to go either way past the full back was great to see. Would love to see him get his chance and really kick on this season. Nowt better than a winger with swagger!
