Confident Blues Ready For Season

Frickley manager Peter Rinkcavage is confident his team is ready for the season beginning with Saturday’s opener against Burscough.

This is despite the fact that he will be without 3 centre halves leaving him with only one recognised player in that position. He said, “We have suffered a real blow this week but hopefully we will be ok. Lincoln Adams has torn a muscle in his hip, Dean Jones has not recovered from his hamstring injury and Michael Simpkins is unavailable due to a long term family commitment. It leaves us very short in this department and it couldn’t really have come at a worse time.”

Rinkcavage though insists his team are ready for the challenges ahead. He said, “Pre season couldn’t really have gone much better to be fair. We have won 6 out of our 8 games and won the last 4 scoring 14 goals. We have signed some good players and the whole squad has gelled very quickly. Rinkcavage has just signed centre back Lincoln Adams, midfielder Lee Bennett and full back Kelvin Bleau after all 3 players impressed through pre-season. The Blues boss said, “Lincoln has been fantastic. He is 6ft 2, strong and very quick. He has a very good pedigree and we are delighted he chose to sign for us when he had no end of options to go elsewhere.” On Bennett and Bleau he said, “ Both are young, very fit and technically gifted and both have done very well in Sweden. We are awaiting international clearance for them but I am excited by both players.”

Rinkcavage added, “All through the squad we have competition for places and we haven’t settled on Saturday’s team yet because everyone has done so well. We have a good mixture of experience and youth and I am very confident we can do much better this season than in recent campaigns.”

Rinkcavage however believes this will be a uniquely tough season for all the competing teams. He said, “I don’t think I have ever seen a year in which so many teams believe they are ready for the next step up. We have Chester and Chorley coming up who are investing hugely in their squads.

"Stafford Rangers and Hednesford are also new in and they are both very big, ambitious clubs. Bradford and FC United will be right up there again and then you have Worksop, Matlock and Northwich Victoria very active in the transfer market. Chasetown have had a good look at things last year and will be stronger still this year and then you have the teams that always seem to be strong like North Ferriby, Kendall, Buxton and Marine. All in all I think it will be a cracker and very exciting to be involved in.”