Reserve team season review
Long Melford Reserves manager David Hennessey reflects on the 2020/21 season.
“It’s never easy to write a review of a season, it’s even harder when the entirety of that season is limited to just 10 games.
I don’t want to dwell on Covid though as it’s already taken enough from us all, so without further ado on to the football.
The Ressies this year managed 10 games (7 league, 3 cup) and managed a total of 6 wins, 1 draw and 3 defeats.
In those 10 games we used a total of 29 players, 9 of whom combined to score a total of 26 goals (we won’t dwell on the 16 conceded). Nobody managed to be an ever present although 3 lads managed to appear in 9 games each (Charlie Coy, Jack Delaune and Alfie Parnell).
We were well placed in 4th in the table when proceedings came to a halt and made it to the quarterfinals of the Suffolk FA reserve cup, succumbing 2-1 away to Beccles Town reserves.
A season of change, of stop, start and ultimately stop again but also a season of great learning, understanding and coming together on and off the pitch.
The highlights for me on the pitch would be scoring 4 (twice) in disposing of local rivals Cornard reserves along with a very hard fought 2-1 victory against Stowmarket reserves.
Off the pitch, it has to be the way the boys have come together as a team and let’s not forget our night out in Ipswich!
It’s hard to single out individuals when we pride ourselves so much on the collective strength of the group but for me the standout was leading goalscorer, Jack Delaune.
Jack came aboard in preseason and settled quickly into the side before going on to bag 12 goals in 9 appearances (including hat tricks against Wivenhoe reserves & Bildeston reserves).
We’ve also managed to develop a handful of boys who are on the verge of first team football and I looking forward to seeing these lads step up soon.
Looking forward, we’ve managed to retain the core group of this years squad and will hope to add a few new faces following our open trial day on June 19th.
I believe that with a key addition or two and a bit more depth we will be well equipped to challenge at the top end of the reserve league table and in the reserve team cup and our goal next season will be to win a trophy (or two).
Lastly, I want to thank everyone at the club, all the volunteers, the parents and most of all the players…without you all this club and these games wouldn’t happen so thank you and let’s go have some fun next season eh!”
