Midfielder Neil Smith (30) and defender Lee Sandford (34) have been invited into the squad for tonight’s friendly at Dorchester Town. Sean O’Driscoll is said to be keen on getting some experience into the squad. However whether the club can sign them given the current financial situation is an entirely different matter!
9 August
On the eve of the new season, the PFA have agreed to relax a transfer embargo on the club (after a £120k loan to pay wages in July), hopefully in time for Sean O’Driscoll to secure the signatures of midfielder Marcus Browning and keeper Chris Tardif. Browning was released by Gillingham at the end of last season and initially will be signed on a non-contract basis. Tardif joins on a month’s loan from Portsmouth, after interest in Rhys Evans has faded. Danny Bloomfield is also expected to sign for the club. Carl Fletcher sits out the opener on a one match suspension, and Jason Tindall is struggling to shake off a hamstring injury. Neil Young is expected to skipper the side at York Street.
10 August
Gareth Stewart is out for three months after sustaining ankle ligament damage in training. The Cherryshare scheme is reported to have raised £100k in two days. AFCB finished seventh best overall with only eight arrests for football related offences last season.
13 August
Northern Ireland have called up Warren Feeney for a friendly against Cyprus next week. Karl Broadhurst, who missed training with a foot injury, may also miss the Kidderminster Harriers game.
14 August
Cherries are being urged to buy shares if they don’t want the stadium to be sold. Club Chairman Peter Phillips can see the scheme being the only answer but quite how the club raise the £30k a month in rent is obviously a big issue. Although the club has debts of around $5m, the ability to raise between £1.5 and 2 million would be enough to stop the sale and leaseback deal being required. ”This is another crisis point for the club, it’s a fundamental turning point. Let’s do it. We don’t want the sale and leaseback but it’s in our own hands and we don’t have to do it. We can raise this money and make this club great again”.
24 August
Brian Stock has been included in the Wales under-21 squad for their UEFA Under-21 Championship qualifier in Finland early next month. Sean O’Driscoll has welcomed the club’s Playershare scheme. It has helped him secure Marcus Browning on a three year deal and Danny Bloomfield for one. It has also helped in obtaining Chris Tardif on a one month loan from Portsmouth.
27 August
Following the disappointing start to the season, Sean O’Driscoll has been given six games to save his job. He was given this ultimatum after a meeting with Chairman Peter Phillips yesterday. The Echo statement reads; “I want to emphasise that in every other way Sean is doing an outstanding job for this club. He is an excellent coach, extremely dedicated and hard working. Despite severe financial constraints Sean and peter have built a squad of talented footballers, capable on their day of beating anyone in this division. He has revitalised the youth structure of the club so that now we have homegrown talented youngsters coming through who will be the stars if the future. However professional football is a harsh business and like all managers, Sean knows that he is judged on results. Results are poor and time is running out. The club’s current financial crisis only emphasises the need for the team to start winning now. We cannot afford gates to fall further and we cannot allow the CherryShare project to fail because of disenchantment among our core support.” The current 89th place in the League has not helped the situation and tonight’s game against Oxford United is the first of the six. O’Driscoll is not helped in that Warren Feeney sits out the game with ankle ligament damage. Derek Holmes should return after shin problems.
Alan Connell looks likely to get his full League debut in the match.
Shaun Maher will also probably miss the game with an ankle injury.
New arrival Jamie Ashdown and Chris Tardif are said to be vying for the Number 1 jersey.
August 30
An orthopaedic consultant feels warren Feeney could return in just six weeks, and has an operation later today.
Despite the ultimatum made earlier, Peter Phillips has given his unequivocal support to Sean O’Driscoll and peter Grant. The Echo adds spice to the story by reporting that Dave Merrington and Dave Webb were at Dean Court for the Oxford United match.