Altrincham FC manager Lee Sinnott will be giving us the inside track on the Robins’ return to the Conference. Here’s his first column of the season for Altrincham Today.
It’s been a long pre-season and it feels like ages since the players returned in late June. Since then the main goal has been to get them in the best possible condition for the start of the season and the visit of Forest Green Rovers on Saturday.
How successful we’ve been is hard to tell until the season starts but we’ll be ready for the game on Saturday. We played some very challenging opponents in pre season but these sort of games are just what you need to get the players prepared for what’s to come.
Our final pre-season fixture last Saturday was against a Port Vale side who fielded their strongest team from the start. Despite the 2-1 defeat, we were more than a match for them. Both sides created opportunities and Stuart Coburn made some fantastic saves which was very pleasing.
Watch highlights of the game against Port Vale below:
I’d like to mention the new signings we’ve brought to the club this summer.
All the players have integrated very well into the squad and the whole team is in a good place right now. We have made five new signings in Josh O’Keefe, Tim Deasy, Michael Rankine, Anthony Griffith and George Bowerman, whose signing we weren’t able to officially announce until last Saturday, as he was still under contract with Accrington Stanley up until the end of July.
George gives us extra options up front along with Damian Reeves, James Lawrie and Michael Rankine. I used to play centre-half myself and George is a player that always asks questions of central defenders with his ability and work rate. He’s settled in really well along with everyone else and it’s great to have him at the club.
Simon Richman and Nicky Clee are doubts for this Saturday’s game. I’m speaking to the physio everyday and hopefully one if not both will be fit. But it’s impossible to say at this point.
Forest Green Rovers are our opponents and they will be hoping to improve on their play-off place last season. It’ll be a hard game just like every other one this season, but we know what to expect from them and we’re confident that if we get our own football going then we’ll create the opportunities to go one better than our draw against them at the J Davidson Stadium last season.
I’m a believer that the league doesn’t really get up and running until six to eight games into the season, but that won’t make it any less vital that we go out and make a positive start on Saturday in front of our supporters.
Picture: Michael Ripley
