Comment

Stafford Browne (right)

Anyone with a pacemaker should have been advised not to watch Heybridge Swifts this season.

The premier division table was the tightest many have ever seen it and Swifts were sitting precariously close to the relegation zone with just weeks to go, but three victories in their final three matches kept them afloat and all at Scraley Road were able to breath a huge sigh of relief.

For so long it looked as though Swifts were going to be playing for their premier division status on the last day of the season - such a difference to last season when they were pushing for the play-offs.

But manager Brian Statham, and on the pitch Stafford Browne, managed to squeeze enough out to fend off the deepening fears of the drop.

It has been a season of upheaval for Swifts.

The strong, experienced look the side had in the previous campaign was gone, and was replaced by a youthful side reliant on a regular influx of loanees.

And also 37-year-old Browne.

His 16 league goals and 24 in total were the main reason Swifts didn't go down, as he kept scoring even when pressed into action as a centre-half when injuries and departures tore through their backline.

Swifts used a huge number of players, with a settled side impossible.

Injurys - including long-term lay-offs for captain Russell Pond and Neil Cousins - and a tightening of the financial purse strings meant Statham had to wheel and deal to get 16 senior players out on a match day.

He was able to rely on stalwart Adam Gillespie, Ian Wiles at the back and Sean Marks up front, who once again didn't quite reach the heights he is capable of.

If this is to be a one-off season then Swifts need stability - both on and off the pitch.

But much depends on the finances available to Statham, who says he is at Scraley Road for the long run.

If they are not forthcoming, he will keep finding it hard to attract decent players and all hope of Swifts playing a high standard of football in a new stadium down the road at Park Drive in years to come could amount to merely a dream.

8:05am Monday 12th May 2008

Print

Email this

Comment

Add your comment

Name:
Email: *
Location:
**
	e.g. 123-123
Comment: Please note: All HTML tags will be ignored. Format Text:
By posting a comment, I confirm that I have read and agree to the terms of use. Comments are not moderated but we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention and we may delete inappropriate postings. Please treat other people with respect. You must not post anything that is abusive, indecent, unlawful or defamatory. Remember, you are personally liable for what you post on this site. If you wish to complain about a comment, contact us here.
* Your email address will not be displayed ** To avoid register now or login