Published: Thursday, 17th July, 2008 11:00
Robins set for Binfield test
By Charles Watts
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Byron Walton's side travel to neighbours Binfield for a friendly on Saturday.
BRACKNELL Town’s pre-season campaign gathers pace on Saturday when they travel to Hellenic League club Binfield for their annual friendly.
Byron Walton’s new look squad will arrive at Stubbs Lane fresh from their first friendly of the summer, which they lost 2-1 at Molesey on Tuesday night.
But the team that lines up on Saturday against Binfield will be much more like the side that Walton expects to start the new Southern League campaign which kicks-off on August 16 when Bridgwater Town visit Larges Lane.
The Robins boss said: “The players who didn’t start on Tuesday night will start on Saturday. I used Tuesday to look at some of the fringe players because I want to cut the numbers in the squad down now.
“Saturday will be much more like the side that will feature at the beginning of the season. Billy Sentence will start for sure, although Chris Goodchild and Keith Newby won’t as they’re away.
“I want all the friendlies taken seriously because the players are playing for a place in the team. I don’t want people flying around kicking people and getting injured but I want to see them giving maximum effort.
“It will be a good game and I’m looking forward to seeing the lads play together. We’ve got quite a busy pre-season and we want to make sure we’re in good shape when the league starts.”
In the aftermath of Tuesday night’s game, Walton has been deciding what players he wants to keep in his squad as he whittles it down to a smaller size.
The players who don’t make the initial cut may still have a future at Larges Lane, however, as he plans to ask them to play for the reserve side.
He said: “Some players will have to go as there are too many here at the moment. I’d rather be fair to them and tell them early so they have time to find another club before the season starts.
“Everyone has done well but at least three or four will go, although I would like some of them to hang around and play for the reserve team.”
The game will be Binfield’s first of the pre-season and will mark the beginning of a new era at the club as Steve McClurg takes charge of the team for the first time.
The former Finchampstead boss has taken over first team duties at Stubbs Lane, while former boss Richard Whitty has moved upstairs to take up a role in the mould of a director of football.
McClurg said: “Things are going well. We’ve done two training sessions now and the standard here is very good.
“I think Bracknell will have played at least one game by the time we play them so they will be a bit of ahead of us but it will good to see where we’re at.
“Pre-season is just about getting ready for when the league kicks off. It’s going to be a very strong division so we want to make sure we’re in the best possible position for when it starts.”
* THE Southern League fixture lists were published this week and Bracknell will kick-off their Division One South and West campaign with a home clash against Bridgwater Town on August 16.
The Robins will then travel to Burnham on Tuesday, August 19 before making the trip to Taunton Town on August 23.
They will then end their August fixtures with a home clash against neighbours Windsor and Eton on the 25th.
Boss Byron Walton said: “It didn’t really matter who we got, every game at the beginning of the season is going to be difficult.
“It’s nice to be at home on the opening day but let’s just get the friendlies out of the way first and then we’ll concentrate on the league and set ourselves a target for the first 10 games.”
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