Wednesday 24 August 2016

Morcambe probably fancy their chances against the Cherries

When the English Football League Cup tie came out of the hat I was not rejoicing at AFCB drawing the Shrimps. They top league two and are a fairly settled side having seen only a couple of departures this summer and their results have been eye-catching.

They have been busy recruiting as well in signing striker Rhys Turner from Oldham, Aaron Wildig on a free in midfield and striker Anton Forrester on loan from Blackburn Rovers. Jack Dunn and Kevin Ellison lead the Morcambe goal table with four and two, respectively.

It's the results that will give them confidence having turned over Rotherham Utd of the Championship already in this competition and making a strong start in their League Two campaign with home wins against Blackpool and Portsmouth as well as away points with a 0-1 win over Yeovil Town. As AFCB could not beat Pompey in pre-season I hope that Eddie Howe takes minimal risks in this game as the club needs a win.
Could it be Afobe's night to stake a place in the starting line up for future games? 
Whether players can play themselves into form or not we will quickly see as the team selected must be with a partial view to getting players up and challenging for Premier League places considering the start that the Cherries have had. Whether players such as Pugh, Stanislas, Hyndman or Mings are yet fit enough is one matter, but if Eddie wants to give some of the Development squad some action it is going to be a nervy evening. So don't be surprised if we see Mikael Ndjoli on the bench along with Corey Jordan perhaps.

I'd expect him to take some regulars not getting games up north. So we should see Federici, Eunan O'Kane, Dan Gosling, Afobe and maybe a few of the new signings such as Brad Smith, Aké, Mousset and perhaps Marc Wilson. If this kind of side can get a win though it will improve the mood at Dean Court which needs lifting now.

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