Burgess Hill Town boss willing to wait to complete his squad

Burgess Hill Town boss Ian Chapman still wants to add a couple of players to his squad - but he is willing to wait.
Okwute Izuchukwu. Burgess Hill Town FC. Picture by David Marriott SUS-160908-075036001Okwute Izuchukwu. Burgess Hill Town FC. Picture by David Marriott SUS-160908-075036001
Okwute Izuchukwu. Burgess Hill Town FC. Picture by David Marriott SUS-160908-075036001

Last week he added Okwute Izuchukwu and Dan Thompson to his squad after successful trials.

But there are still a couple of areas he wants to improve on in his squad, and it will be a case waiting a couple of weeks to see what happens.

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He said: “I would still like to add a couple to it in certain areas.

Dan Thompson scored Burgess Hill Town's winner. Picture by David MarriottDan Thompson scored Burgess Hill Town's winner. Picture by David Marriott
Dan Thompson scored Burgess Hill Town's winner. Picture by David Marriott

“We will be probably waiting for the start of the season and there will be players at other clubs who won’t be getting games and we will look into that way.

“There’s a lot of sides in Sussex now at our standard and there are only so many players and they can’t play for everyone.

“We are all in the same boat for players.”

And Chapman knows how costly it can be to look outside of Sussex for the right people.

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He told Middy Sport: “If you go outside of Sussex you have got to go to London and I am going to be brutally honest, players want too much money to come from London and I don’t blame them, that’s their choice.

“We have to attract the right players for us. I think they have to be young players and players who think they have something to prove.

“Players who have gone somewhere, it hasn’t worked out for them and we get them and try to make them better.”

Chapman and his men travel to Suffolk to face Needham Market for their opening league fixture, before hosting Tonbridge Angels at the Green Elephants Stadium on Tuesday night (see preview on back page).

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Chapman believes every game will be tough but he has picked a couple of teams he thinks will be up there at the end of the season.

He said: “I think Havant will be up there. I have looked at a few of the players they have signed who have come from pro clubs recently who are really decent players.

“They have a big budget and will be decent.

“Dulwich have gone full time and they are always a good side so it’s the usual suspects that will be up there.

“But we are not looking at those sides.

“I am not being negative but we really want to be breaking into that top 14 of the league.”

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Burgess Hill had a good first half of last season but tailed off at the end of the season and their form saw them drop into the relegation zone on the last game of the season.

But thanks to Farnborough’s financial irregularities, they escaped the drop and have another chance to prove they deserve to be at this level.

And Chapman doesn’t envisage a repeat of that form.

He said: “We know what to expect now. The last two or three months of the season we were poor but we still got 50 points.

“We know we can’t afford to be that bad again and I don’t think we will be that bad again.

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“We need to try and pick up results and do the best we can.”

How do you think Burgess Hill Town will get on this season?

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