Looking Forward to the New Season at Bradley Stoke Town FC
September 6th, 2013
Bradley Stoke Town FC welcome two new managers and lots of new players as a new season gets underway.
The Reserves and A Team both have new managers in Craig Tucker and Matt Burch respectively, while Jon Welsh continues his role as First Team manager andSteve Kerton begins his second season in charge of the B Team.
Following a season where all four teams remained in their respective divisions, all four managers will be aiming to achieve bigger and better things during this term.
In the First Team, attacking new players such as Sam Peplow, Tom Harris, Luke Johnson and Scott Hobbs have added speed and skill to Welsh’s experienced squad. The First Team failed to score enough goals last season, so
these new acquisitions signal a statement of intent for a manager entering his second season in charge.
In the Reserves, Tucker and his assistant, ex-BSTFC player Phil Ashton, have created a side that mixes experienced players such as Ben Pearce, James Collis-Pritchard and James Holbrook with young talents including Matt Hull, Sam Cleaver and Charles Moore. Tucker’s direct approach lends to the speed of his attackers and he will be aiming to out-gun his opponents in counter-attack style football.
Matt Burch and his A Team have benefitted from a number of players finishing university and returning to Bradley Stoke this summer. His side began the season in style with a 5-3 drumming of Brimsham Green A Team, and Burch will be hoping his side can continue that form throughout the season.
With a young, enthusiastic and talented squad to choose his side from, Burch’s A Team should be challenging for promotion come Spring 2014.
In the B Team, Steve Kerton and his assistant Martin Lee continue to attract young players to the club with the aim of developing their skills and promoting them through the ranks. Kerton has created an academy-like feel in his squad, and frequently attracts 20+ players to training during the week.
Their season got off to an unusual start after their first game had to abandoned due to an injury. However, with twice as many games this year due to the two Bristol & Avon League divisions being merged, Kerton will surely
appreciate a large squad that can cope with injuries. If Kerton can manage his team throughout this long season, then a top half finish is certainly achievable.
All four Bradley Stoke teams play their games on Saturday afternoons from September through to May, with at least one of the teams playing at the Jubilee Centre. The BSTFC bar within the JC is open each Saturday from 4pm, with all members of the community welcome. Further information can be found at www.bstfc.co.uk or
on Twitter at @BSTFC.