30 THE NON-LEAGUE PAPER, Sunday, July 28, 2019 Log onto www.thenonleaguefootballpaper.com 2019-20 SEASON PREVIEW PULLOUT Adam VIRGOBT SPORT PUNDIT GIVES HIS EXPERT OPINION Aasdasdasdasdasd asdasdasdasdasdasd WHO MAKES MY asdasdasdasdasd asdasdasdasdasdas PICTURE: NLP Photographer SUMMER FAB 5? MATTY KOSYLO a very good footballer at this level. FC Halifax – AFC Fylde He’s been superb for Braintree, This is a big season for Kosylo. It’s Gateshead and Dover. Most impor- one thing doing it for FC Halifax tantly, he’s reliable and it’s a great and another to do it on a weekly signing for Dagenham. basis when the spotlight is on you. Fylde are expected to win near DAVE TARPEY enough every game. Barnet – Woking On his day, he’s excellent. At 26, he’s Loved him at Maidenhead. He at that age where it’s a real chance reminds me of Dan Holman, who HEADS UP! to prove himself. scored loads at this level. Tarpey Paul McCallum got his move to Barnet and had a PAUL MCCALLUM bad ACL injury, which is obviously DANGERMAN: a tough one to recover from. But Matty Kosylo Eastleigh – Solihull Moors Arguably the best striker in the air Woking can have belief they’ve got in the National League. McCallum’s a genuine goalscorer to keep them goals with his head were massive in in the league. getting Eastleigh into the play-offs. HONEST: GOALS: It’s important he continues that GUS MAFUTA Mitch Dave on. If you look through his career, Salford City – Hartlepool Utd Brundle Tarpey he hasn’t scored goals season after When Salford had their good season. He’s got to show it again. run that put them back into the promotion hunt, he was important MITCH BRUNDLE for them in midfield alongside Lois Dover Athletic – Dag & Red Maynard and Devonte Redmond. Underrated. He’s an honest player He’s exactly what Hartlepool need and would get in most National in the middle of the park. Maybe League teams with his performance he can add goals but he’s a very WORKHORSE: and personality. Ask him to play good player at this level. He’s a Gus Mafuta centre midfield, he does well. A workhorse, but has that quality centre-half, he does well. He’s just Pools need. LUTON? A Tranmere? There’s no one this season I look at and immediately say: Finish above them and you’ve won the league. AIt’s a really open division and as hard to call as ever. Don’t me wrong, there are good teams in this National League. But there’s no one I look at on the first day of SHERIDAN CAN the season and think, ‘They’re the team to beat’. Can Chesterfield take inspiration from Leyton Orient? It’s a similar situation where they had a difficult first season but finished strong. There was something about the Spireites under John Sheridan towards IN-SPIREtop two and even be champions. Solihull Moors can’t play the un- whelming leagueAGAIN position last season. be a good signing but I don’t sit here and the back end of the last campaign. It was When you do well in the National derdog card again this season. If you Keeper Scott Loach has come in from think: jigsaw complete. I just genuinely like they’d accepted where they were. League, it always raises one issue. You analyse their squad – they had more pro- Hartlepool, Callum Reynolds is as solid don’t know how it will go but there’s a The change of manager from Martin lose some of your best players. They’ve motions than anyone else – their play-off as they come, Elliott Johnson is a vet- squad of players good enough to get in Allen to Sheridan was the right call. lost three out of their back five. Zaine finish maybe shouldn’t have been a huge eran at this level, even though he’s only the top five. He’s found a formula and got results. Francis-Angol has moved to Accrington surprise. But, having said that, Tim 24, Andre Boucaud will be important if Harrogate should be strong again. You saw people were there to be part of Stanley – he’s been one the best left- Flowers did a wonderful job last season. they keep him fit and Charlee Adams, They remind me of Fylde. Excellent the club. I like the experience at the back backs in the division. Then centre back He’s a fantastic manager and coach – he I like. I’m amazed they’ve been able to first season, now they’re looking to build they’ve brought in with Anthony Jordan Tunnicliffe has joined Crawley was my assistant and Coventry and I keep Jack Taylor and then they’ve got on it and signing Jon Stead could work Gerrard during a much steadier Town and Jay Lynch, one of the best know his quality. I’m his biggest fan. Shaq Coulthirst and Sim Akinola up out well. He brings that know-how. And summer than they had last year. keepers in Non-League, has moved on. Will they have a Plan B this year? top. It’s a squad of players who must be imagine defending against him and They should have done better in their Predictable Towards the end of last season they pushing for play-offs, in my opinion. Mark Beck if they need a goal in the last first season at the level but Sheridan got a little bit predictable. The play-off Cursed ten minutes. has gone out and signed some decent But what Dave Challinor did was semi-final against Fylde was evidence of The last spot, as always, is up for players. They’ve lost Charlie Carter, but make early signings. They didn’t muck that. When Fylde worked them out, they Wrexham should be in the play-offs grabs. You just don’t know what you’ll overall he’s kept the players he would around. Matty Kosylo from FC Halifax, didn’t quite know what to do even when with them. They’re always solid but get from Notts County with all their have wanted and added more quality Mark Yeates from Eastleigh, Jordan Flowers tried to bring on some more the question before each season is how summer problems. They’ve still got and class. Williams – he’s gone for width. creativity. many goals are they going to score com- good players so they could go well but For me they start as favourites in an Replacing Lynch is always going to Alex Gudger and Liam Daly are two pared to the rest? you look at the clubs coming up like open field. I expect Fylde to be up there be difficult but the signing of England brilliant centre halves at this level. They’ve signed JJ Hooper, who had a Torquay and Stockport County with that again. They seem to be going in the right C keeper James Montgomery is a very They’ve signed Mitch Hancox too – add- good end to the season in front of goal momentum. direction every season. Year 1 in the Na- good one. ing National League quality could prove at Bromley. He probably played the best Then Bromley have signed very, very tional League: play-offs. Year 2: reach the Then they’ve still got a ridiculous goal- important. Play-offs, no doubt. I’ve seen him. Sometimes it feels as well. The manager Neil Smith just gets final – plus they won the FA Trophy. If scorer in their team. Whatever people I’ve actually got them down to finish though anyone who wears the number it. Michael Cheek and Adrian Clifton they finish outside the top two, then that say about Danny Rowe, he’s a genuine fourth. Third? Barnet. Darren Currie nine there is cursed. They’ve tried lots are good additions, Chris Bush is a solid will be a disappointing season. They’ve threat and you feel he will be pushing to was a team-mate of mine. Injuries of different options up front but it hasn’t defender. They could be a dark horse for certainly got the quality to finish in the be top scorer in the division again. played a massive part in an under- quite happened. Hooper could prove to seventh. Enjoy the season! ADAM VIRGO FRONTS THE NATIONAL LEAGUE COVERAGE FOR BT SPORT.