League Two - Team news: All eyes on Sven

Eurosport - Fri, 07 Aug 17:02:00 2009

Team news from the first day of the League Two campaign with Notts County against Bradford the 'glamour' tie.

2009 pre-season Notts County Sven-Goran Eriksson - 0

Notts County v Bradford

Defenders Stephen Hunt and Brendan Moloney have given Notts County boss Ian McParland the boost of a full strength squad to choose from for the Magpies' opening against Bradford at Meadow Lane.

The pair missed County's final pre-season friendly against a Liverpool XI, but both players have trained this week and are in contention.

Moloney, on loan from city rivals Nottingham Forest, could start at right-back after some impressive displays since his switch from the City Ground.

McParland faces a welcome selection dilemma in attack. Following the takeover of the club by Middle East consortium Munto Finance and the appointment of Sven-Goran Eriksson as director of football, the Scot has been able to considerably strengthen his striking options with the signings of Luke Rodgers, Lee Hughes and Karl Hawley.

Rodgers has been in blistering form during pre-season scoring seven goals and has already forged a good partnership with Hughes, while Hawley insists he is fit and ready to be thrown straight into the team following his arrival from Preston.

Delroy Facey, Sean Canham and Ben Fairclough complete the Magpies' six-man strikeforce.

Bradford's latest signing Steven O'Leary is one of nine new players who could be handed his debut.

O'Leary has joined on a five-month deal with a view to earning a longer contract and is expected to join Michael Flynn and Jamie O'Brien in the Bantams' squad.

Simon Eastwood, from Huddersfield, and Jon McLaughlin will vie for the goalkeeper's spot and former Macclesfield striker Gareth Evans will start alongside new skipper Peter Thorne up front, but ex-Guiseley forward James Hanson is also in the reckoning.

New defenders Simon Ramsden, Jonathan Bateson and non-league signing Steve Williams could all feature in a new-look back four.

Club captain Zesh Rehman, Omar Daley, Matt Clarke and Lee Bullock all served under McCall last season and are hoping to play their part, while Chris Brandon has finally put his long-term ankle injury behind him.

Cheltenham v Grimsby

Cheltenham manager Martin Allen has no major injury worries for the home clash against Grimsby.

The Robins boss is monitoring a couple of niggles to unnamed players ahead of the curtain raiser but nothing that is due to cause huge concern.

In fact, Allen named his starting XI to his squad on Wednesday and has been putting them through their paces in the lead up to the club's return to League Two.

He told Cheltenham's official website: "Preparations have gone okay, we have a few knocks but they're nothing major and will be monitored over the next 24 hours.

"I've already picked the starting XI, the players knew on Wednesday what we're going to be working with. We worked on them again on Thursday and we'll have a quiet day with them on Friday as we always do."

It will be a new look Robins side that takes to the field at Whaddon Road, with only six faces appearing in the club's latest pre-season team photo that were also there 12 months ago.

Grimsby will be without two strikers when they kick-off their campaign.

The Mariners were dealt a huge blow this week with the news that Nathan Jarman faces at least six weeks out after breaking a bone in his foot.

Jarman sustained the injury in the first-half of Town's 12-1 friendly win at Winterton last weekend.

Summer signing Adrian Forbes missed Grimsby's last two pre-season friendlies with a knee injury and the problem will keep him on the sidelines.

Veteran goalkeeper Nick Colgan will start the campaign as Town's number one with 18-year-old Leigh Overton, who agreed a 12-month professional deal with the club in May, his back-up.

Mike Newell will be hoping his side can get off to a winning start as they begin their first full season under his stewardship.

Port Vale v Rochdale

Tommy Fraser is expected to lead out Port Vale for the first time as captain at home to Rochdale.

The midfielder, a summer signing from Brighton, was announced as the club's new skipper this week, taking the armband from Sam Stockley.

Fraser has been struggling with an ankle problem but returned to full training on Thursday ahead of the season-opener at Vale Park. Fellow summer signings Doug Loft and Adam Yates are also in line to make their competitive debuts for the club.

Goalkeeper Joe Anyon remains sidelined as he steps up his rehabilitation from the broken leg sustained at Chesterfield back towards the end of March, with Chris Martin expected to continue to deputise.

Midfielder Simon Richman is out with a pelvic injury while it also remains to be seen whether Luke Prosser, Danny Edwards, Steve Thompson, David Howland, Danny Glover or Ross Davidson will feature having all been made available for loan or permanent transfer on Thursday.

The encounter also represents Micky Adams' and new assistant manger Geoff Horsfield's first competitive game in charge of the Valiants.

Rochdale manager Keith Hill is struggling to make up the numbers.

The Dale boss had just 13 fit senior outfield players for last weekend's 4-1 friendly win at Southport, and will again be without Rory McArdle and Ciaran Toner.

Defender McArdle is out for the first two months of the season with a shoulder injury, while midfielder Toner has been sidelined with a dead leg.

Their absence could force Hill to turn to a number of youngsters and Chris Brown, Callum Byrne and Josh Brizzell are all on standby.

McArdle's absence has opened the door for 19-year-old defender Craig Dawson to make his league debut while new signing Jason Kennedy could also make his bow.

Crewe Alexandra v Dagenham and Redbridge

Gudjon Thordarson expects to have a fully-fit squad to choose from when Crewe begin life back in League Two against Dagenham & Redbridge at Gresty Road.

Captain Billy Jones was withdrawn at half-time in Alex's final pre-season friendly against Birmingham on Tuesday night after complaining of a tight hamstring.

However, it was merely a precautionary measure and the full-back should start against the Daggers.

Striker Anthony Elding has been nursing a sore back this week but he has been training and is also expected to be in contention.

Summer signings David Button, Patrick Ada and Mat Mitchel-King will be hoping to make their competitive debuts for the Railwaymen.

The Alex were relegated to League Two last season and are kicking off a campaign in the basement division for the first time since 1993.

Dagenham & Redbridge manager John Still will be without new signing Josh Scott.

The striker will miss the Daggers' first trip to Gresty Road through suspension as he sits out the third and final game of a ban picked up last season with Hayes & Yeading.

Fellow forward Mark Nwokeji remains two weeks away from a return to training as he continues his eight-month lay-off with a cruciate knee ligament injury.

Defender Anwar Uddin has not trained since the first training session in July due to a bang on his leg while Wesley Thomas picked up a leg injury at Braintree 10 days ago and has also sat out training.

Still's side won their opening day fixture 6-0 last season against Chester and will hope for another victory 12 months on.

Rotherham v Accrington

Rotherham manager Mark Robins goes into the opening-day clash with Accrington without striker Drewe Broughton.

The 30-year-old suffered a broken toe during pre-season and is expected to be out for a further month, so new signing Tom Pope will lead the line after scoring three times during the Millers' run of friendlies.

Robins has moved to bring in veteran Andy Liddell to help fill the void left by last season's leading scorer Reuben Reid who has joined West Brom, but he is working on his fitness and may not figure despite playing for the reserves on Wednesday.

As well as Pope, all of Robins' other summer signings are available so winger Kevin Ellison, goalkeeper Jamie Annerson, and midfield duo Nicky Law and Paul Warne could all feature.

Accrington manager John Coleman is preparing to hand debuts to a number of players.

On-loan Leicester striker Billy Kee is set to form a new-look strikeforce with Paul Mullin who has returned from a spell with Bradford, while Alan Martin will start in goal after moving on loan from Leeds.

Dean Winnard and Darren Kempson should take their place at the heart of Coleman's defence after joining from Blackburn and Wrexham respectively, while fellow newcomer Luke Joyce may have to settle for a place on the bench following his move from Carlisle.

Midfielder Andy Procter is unavailable due to a suspension he has carried over from last season but Bobby Grant could be involved following a knee injury.

Aldershot v Darlington

Aldershot boss Gary Waddock will be without Dean Howell for the visit of Darlington.

Left-back Howell is recovering from a hip operation and is expected to be out of action for several more weeks.

Anthony Charles has missed training with a slight knee problem which could keep him out of action but Waddock has no other injury concerns.

Adam Hinshelwood will captain the side for the first time after signing from Brighton during the summer, and will be joined in the XI by three other debutants.

Former Reading man John Halls, former Shrewsbury right-back Ben Herd and goalkeeper Clark Masters are all poised to start against Colin Todd's side.

Waddock said: "Adam has been the captain at his previous club and is an excellent professional. There were a few contenders for the role but I have made the decision now and am looking forward to the start of the season."

Darlington manager Colin Todd could hand debuts to up to 10 new players.

Former midfielder Mark Convery could be among those to start on his return to the club as new manager Todd embarks on the 2009/10 season with a new-look Quakers squad.

Player/coach Dean Windass is expected to start alongside fellow new signing Lee Thorpe up front, while former Bradford pair Paul Arnison and Mark Bower are expected to line-up in defence.

Skipper Steve Foster has recovered from ankle surgery and is available, while there could also be debuts for ex-Carlisle midfielders Jeff Smith and Chris Lumsdon.

Gary Smith (Brentford), David Knight (Middlesbrough), Matty Plummer and James Bennett (both from Hull) are the other members of Todd's hastily-assembled squad who could feature on the opening day.

Morecambe v Hereford

Morecambe boss Sammy McIlroy is determined to see his side build on last year's progress in the new League Two campaign.

The Shrimps finished 11th last term and there is an optimistic mood sweeping the club as work prepares to start on their new stadium.

McIlroy's first aim is to avoid relegation but he is confident his men can push on after last year's impressive campaign.

McIlroy said: "Our first aim is to make sure we are a Football League club when we move into the new ground but we are looking to make our mark as well.

"We made progress last year and we want to do the same this year. If we do make the same progress this season we will have had a very good year."

Hereford boss John Trewick has a fully-fit squad for the club's League Two return at Morecambe.

Trewick has revamped the Bulls set-up over the summer, with only a handful of the side from last season's relegation campaign still at Edgar Street.

Lee Morris and Leon Constantine are the club's only two recognised senior strikers and are expected to lead the line, although Trewick is keen to bring in reinforcements before the August 31 deadline.

Adam Bartlett should make his competitive debut in goal following his summer move from Kidderminster, and it will be the same story for a host of other summer signings as a new-look Hereford side takes to the pitch at Christie Park.

Winger Jonny Godsmark penned a six-month loan deal on Thursday and he is also included in an experienced squad that has travelled to Lancashire.

Lincoln v Barnet

Lincoln will be without captain Scott Kerr for the League Two opener against Barnet.

Midfielder Kerr has been unable to take part in the Imps' pre-season matches due to a knee injury and is set to miss out against Ian Hendon`s side.

Richard Butcher will be handed the armband in his absence as he begins his third spell at Sincil Bank while Rene Howe could also come into the side.

The Peterborough striker has joined on loan for six months and will be hoping to start but fellow forward Paul Connor is a doubt.

Connor came off in a recent friendly defeat to Sheffield United with a hamstring problem while defender Cian Hughton is also confident of shaking off a knock in time.

Barnet boss Ian Hendon will be without striker John O'Flynn after suffered a muscle injury in his right foot during pre-season and was ruled out for the next two weeks. Hendon will again turn to veteran Paul Furlong to lead the line.

Furlong, 40, has signed a new one-year deal to prolong his career at Underhill and will start at Sincil Bank.

Jake Hyde is struggling with a groin injury but could feature while defender Joe Devera is expected to be involved after a groin injury of his own.

Assistant manager Gary Breen picked up a knee problem in pre-season but has been declared fit to start while Micah Hyde will skipper the side on his debut in midfield.

Australian defender Daniel Leach is also hoping for a league debut after overcoming a knock, while Hendon has added three more new faces to his squad this week, with defenders Ryan O`Neill, Clovis Kamdjo and Ahmed Deen arriving on Thursday.

Northampton v Macclesfield

Northampton manager Stuart Gray will include unsettled defender Danny Jackman in his starting XI as the Cobblers begin life back in League Two with the visit of Macclesfield.

Jackman handed in a written transfer request earlier this week which was rejected by the club and he will start at left-back in a new-look back four.

Jackman will be joined in defence by new signings Craig Hinton, Dean Beckwith and Paul Rodgers, while fellow new boys Seb Harris, John Curtis, Romone Rose, Ben Marshall and Chris McCready will be on the new seven-man bench.

Forward Gary Mulligan will have to wait for his debut after picking up an ankle injury in pre-season, while Gray is waiting on the fitness of midfielder Luke Guttridge.

Guttridge played in a friendly against MK Dons last week after an injection in his knee and may require intervention again. Winger Liam Davis will be out until mid October after breaking a metatarsal last month.

First-choice strikeforce Adebayo Akinfenwa (calf) and Steve Guinan (back) should both be fit to start despite their injuries.

Macclesfield boss Keith Alexander will hand debuts to a number of new signings.

The Silkmen have signed over 10 players during the summer and Stephen Reed, who arrived on a free transfer from Weymouth, is the only new recruit unable to feature.

The left-back is currently nursing a minor calf strain and is joined on the sidelines by defender Nat Brown (shin) and club captain Sean Hessey (knee).

However, the likes of Ben Wright, Emile Sinclair, Kyle Wilson, Carl Tremarco, Paul Bolland, Paul Morgan, Ross Draper, Hamza Bencherif, Matty Tipton and Colin Daniel are all in contention.

The Silkmen further boosted their squad this week with the recruitment of Cape Verde goalkeeper Jose Veiga and Boston midfielder Tyrone Kirk.

Shrewsbury v Burton

Manager Paul Simpson has mixed team news on the eve of Shrewsbury's opening game at home to Football League new boys Burton.

Summer signing Lewis Neal will miss out having been sidelined for between four to six weeks with an ankle injury sustained in Shrews' final pre-season encounter at Tranmere last weekend.

Fellow midfielder Steve Leslie is suspended due to the red card he picked up during last season's play-off semi-final second leg at Bury, while influential defender Mike Jackson has been recovering from a long-term knee problem and isn`t expected to feature.

Despite Grant Holt's departure, the recent arrivals of strikers Nathan Elder and Kris Bright mean Town could employ a brand new strikeforce at the Prostar.

Although there is certain to be competition for places throughout Town's starting XI, especially as Simpson also looks to bed in suitable long-term replacements to cover the loss of Ben Davies and Chris Humphrey.

Burton will be without Aaron Webster when they line up for their first Football League fixture.

The full-back has battled a calf injury throughout pre-season but looks set to miss out on the big day as Paul Peschisolido takes charge for the first time in his career.

The Shrews narrowly missed out on promotion last season with defeat in the play-off final at Wembley and will provide a tough examination for the Brewers.

Peschisolido is set to hand a debut to former Shrewsbury forward Richard Walker in attack, along with Marc Edworthy and Jimmy Phillips.

Peschisolido said: "It won't be easy to have to tell some of them they won't be in the team that starts at Shrewsbury.

"But as manager it's great to have the headache of having two players competing for every position because there's no room for complacency."

Bury v Bournemouth

Bury boss Alan Knill looks set to hand debuts to strikers Ryan Lowe and Danny Carlton for the home clash with Bournemouth.

The duo joined the Shakers in the summer from Chester and Carlisle respectively and could spearhead the attack against the Cherries.

Fellow frontmen Andy Bishop and Andy Morrell remain absent with hernia problems and will be joined on the sidelines by Damian Allan.

The midfielder, a summer signing from Morecambe, will be out for around a week with a groin strain but fellow new recruits David Worrall and Simon Johnson are in contention.

Worrall has rejoined Bury from Championship outfit West Brom on an initial six-month loan, while former Leeds winger Johnson has penned a short-term deal at Gigg Lane.

Bournemouth captain Danny Hollands is determined to be fit ahead of schedule after undergoing knee surgery.

The midfielder will miss the start of the new season after going under the knife to cure a long-standing problem.

"It's even more frustrating after being named skipper," he told the Bournemouth Echo. "The same thing happened last season and these things sometimes can't be helped, but it's massively frustrating. I've got to make sure when I come back I'm fit and ready."

He added: "It's going to take quite a while because I will have missed a good six weeks by then, but I know I've got to put in the extra hours.

"I want to be back as soon as possible. I'll work as hard as I can to get back as quickly as I can because I don't want to miss any more minutes than I have to."

Torquay v Chesterfield

Newly-promoted Torquay are boosted by the return to fitness of midfielder Chris Hargreaves and winger Mustapha Carayol ahead of their League Two opener at home to Chesterfield.

Fit-again Hargreaves (calf) and Carayol (hamstring) both returned to pre-season friendly action against Dorchester last week without any reaction and have trained with Paul Buckle's Gulls this week.

United have signed central defender Kieran Charnock from Peterborough on the eve of the season and he will vie with Chris Robertson, Chris Todd and Mark Ellis for a starting place in the back four.

The Gulls - who clinched promotion by beating Cambridge 2-0 in the Conference play off final at Wembley - have also swooped for Posh striker Scott Rendell on a season-long loan.

Rendell played against Torquay, while on loan at Cambridge, in May's final and will hope to start at Plainmoor.

Chesterfield must get their campaign under way without prolific goalscorer Jack Lester and defensive stalwart Aaron Downes.

Lester, who has scored 50 goals in the two seasons since his arrival from Nottingham Forest, serves the second game of a three-match suspension carried over from the end of last season.

The striker was sent off in the Spireites' penultimate game at Accrington and missed the final match of the 2008/09 campaign at home to Bradford. Lester is unavailable for the trip to Plainmoor and the midweek Carling Cup tie at Scunthorpe.

Centre-half Downes is still recovering from the knee surgery he underwent towards the end of last season and is not expected to be fit again until the start of 2010.

Sheridan pounced for Manchester City youngster Donal McDermott on a loan deal on Friday, and the 19-year-old striker could start.

Goalkeepers Tommy Lee and Mark Crossley will battle it out for the number one jersey. Should Crossley, aged 40, get the nod, he will become Chesterfield's oldest-ever debutant surpassing Lawrie Madden who was 38 when he made his bow for the Blues.

PA Sport

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    From besa, on Fri 7 Aug 5:28PM
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