Linden Village FC Season 16 Preview

Jonny Bigballs took charge of the club at the very end of season 11, so with 4 full campaigns under his belt he is no stranger to the game and has very quickly turned Linden Village into a force to be reckoned with.

Season 12 – In his first full season Linden finished 2^nd gaining automatic promotion.

Season 13 – The step up to Division 4 was done with ease, walking away as D4 Champions at the first time of asking.

Season 14 – Form was carried over to Division 3 where they had a fantastic opening year finishing in 4^th place

Season 15 – Last season they went one better, finishing 3^rd, agonisingly close to that elusive promotion spot.

Consistency has been the key to their success but there was always something missing, something that was holding them back from their true potential. As Season 16 starts up, it looks like Bigballs has found the final piece of the promotion puzzle...

 Goalkeeper

79.8 million later, Linden can now boast a top class keeper as their last line of defence. Several League of Ireland clubs were chasing him but Anthony Scott decided to sign for the D3 hopefuls, clearly seeing the clubs potential when he decided to return to Irish soil. A career average of 6.31 from 78 games gives an indication of the reliability he will bring to Linden. At 29 he is still young enough to be 1^st choice at Linden for the next 4 or 5 seasons. He will win them games, end of...

Defence

25 year old Dylan O’Lyne and 23 year old Brazilian Brito have formed a formidable partnership over the last few seasons. With Scott as their safety net and quality either side in the shape of Harrington and Harm, Linden now have a defensive unit ready to take on Division 2. Defence will be the key to their success this season.

Midfield  

Midfield is solid if unspectacular. The average age is something that could cause issues in a few seasons but Bigballs has a few promising youths coming through who should be ready for the step up when the time comes.  Whether they will be ready for D2 though is a different kettle of fish. Linden are still 1 or 2 midfielders short in my opinion. Most of their attacks start down the left flank with Egyptian youngster Abdullah Abdel Hadys pace and creative abilities a huge threat to defences. He is a key player for them.  

Attack

Linden are worryingly very thin up top. Kilbride is consistent but is the wrong side of 30 and with Oisin Ryan on his way out of the club in the next few days the only other FC of note is the talented French 20 year old Mauduit. Other youths are nowhere near ready for first team football so an injury to either Kilbride or Mauduit could scupper Lindens promotion hopes dearly. At least one but ideally two new FCs should be a pressing priority for Bigballs.

If their starting 11 stay fit and suspension free, Linden have the ability to beat any D3 side on their day. With 3 or 4 quality squad players, they could easily adjust to become a solid D2 side. Their defence is ready but midfield and attack are still slightly lacking in the long term view. But that defence is the key for them and I still think they will go at least one better than last season.

Prediction – Dead cert for a comfortable top 2 finish.