Alex Cole previews the Iron’s opening encounter at Brackley Town.
The Iron kick off the new National League North season away at likely fellow promotion contenders Brackley Town. In terms of opening fixtures, it doesn’t get much tougher for Andy Butler as he makes his managerial bow for the club. Facing the team who finished 3rd last season, just three points behind us, presents a significant challenge.
Improving away form against the division’s stronger sides will surely be a priority for Butler and the team. Last season, our record against the top 10 away from home was disappointing, with only one win – a fortuitous victory against Tamworth on the opening day.
Overall, our away record against top-half sides stood at one win, three draws, and five losses. Ultimately, it was our general away form that cost us the league title, picking up just 36 points from a possible 69 on the road, compared to a mammoth 52 points at home.
If we can find ways to turn those tough away games into wins rather than losses, we’ll be in a much stronger position to challenge for the league title this time around.
So how do we go about doing that? Andy Butler looks set to line up in a 3-5-2/3-4-1-2 formation this season. This should allow us to be sturdier and more streetwise in our approach, especially when games get scrappy, as they often do at this level. Previous manager Jimmy Dean’s possession-based 4-2-3-1 approach often came unstuck against better teams, so Saturday’s game will be a great test of Butler’s new shape and personnel.
Speaking of personnel, I expect the team to line up very similarly to how we finished our last pre-season outing against Chesterfield. Make no mistake, our opponents were very good, but once the initial batch of substitutions was made, we looked much better organized in our approach.
Out of my predicted 11, the only talking points are perhaps in both wingback areas. In pre-season, Jason Law, Tyler Denton, and Michael Kelly have all played left wingback, with Law accumulating the most minutes (382), followed by a substantial drop to Denton (189) and Kelly (135). Thanks to Iron_stats on X for those figures!
Naturally, one would assume Law is in prime position to start, but if Tyler Denton is fit enough (still recovering from last season’s injury), we all know the quality he can offer up and down the left-hand side, as well as it being his natural position, unlike Law. In my opinion, Law should start as he’ll be the fittest, and we’ll need everyone at their best against this opposition.
For the right wingback position, it’s a straight shootout between Kian Scales and Ross Barrows. Both have had their fair share of minutes in preseason, clocking in at 426 and 417 respectively, although Scales has played some of those minutes in his more natural midfield position. Personally, I’d prefer to see Scales there, allowing Max Brogan, who has looked excellent in pre-season, to play in central midfield. Both have looked solid enough in the warm up fixtures and it’s unfortunate that one player will likely miss out on a starting spot.
Regarding the rest of the team, I’m particularly excited to see Carlton Ubaezuonu lead from the front alongside Danny Whitehall. Ubaezuonu has perhaps been our most impressive performer this pre-season, working hard out of possession and showing quality in front of goal with a healthy five goals bagged. I see no reason why he can’t reach 20 goals this season if all goes well. If Whitehall then chips in with another 20 as he did last season, we’d be in a fantastic position to challenge for the league title.
This will be a tough opening assignment for Butler, perhaps as challenging as it gets. Like us, Brackley have managed to retain a core of their successful squad from last season and made further additions. However, with great challenges come opportunities to make a statement to the rest of the division that we’re once again serious contenders for promotion.
If we manage to get a positive result on Saturday, it’ll be a great boost for staff, players, and fans alike as we then head into two games against newly promoted teams in Marine and Needham Market, with a chance to build some really positive early momentum.
It’s now up to the players and staff to deliver on the great expectations that will always be on this club as long as we’re at this level. The fans will turn up again, with approximately 600 tickets sold for Saturday’s encounter and kits continuing to fly off the shelves.
Safe travels to all fans making the trip to Brackley on Saturday. Be loud and proud as we look to make the best possible start to the new season.
Up the Iron!
