Window Shopping

Stupid non-league. I hate that these meaningless cup competitions take presidence over BSP fixtures. To make a football-less weekend worse, it was impossible to find a pub in Cambridge on Saturday night that wasn't full of egg-chasing fans jumping on the six nations bandwagon. Anyway, seeing as there isn't much U's news about, I've decided to have a look at what our rivals have been up to during the transfer window.

Aldershot
In: No one
Out: Johnny Dixon (Brighton)
The league leaders unsurprisingly seem quite happy with their current line up. Getting over £50,000 for Dixon, a squad player who was out of contract at the end of the season would appear to be good business as they have plenty of other players capable of scoring goals. I’m a bit surprised they didn’t add an experienced head or two though.
U’s Blog Verdict: No change

Torquay
In: Michael Poke (Southampton, loan), Roscoe Dsane (Accrington), Kaid Mohamed, Steve Adams (both Swindon).
Out: Simon Rayner (Boston), Leslie Thompson (Bolton – end of loan)
Torquay have a bit of work to do if they are to catch the ‘Shots, and the signing of Dsane (pictured) could prove to be key. He has a great record in the Conference, and enjoyed a fruitful partnership with Gulls top scorer Tim Sills at Aldershot. Adams also brings considerable Championship experience to an already strong-looking midfield.
Verdict: Stronger


Stevenage Borough
In: Scott Laird (Plymouth), Ashley Westwood (Chester), Fred Murray (Stafford), Peter Vicenti (Millwall), Callum Willock (Port Vale), Clark Masters (Southend, loan), Wayne O’Sullivan (Hendon), Sammy Moore (Ipswich), Isiah Rankin (Grimsby), Elliott Buchanan (Boreham Wood).
Out: Barry Fuller, Stuart Lewis (Gillingham),
Craig Dobson (MK Dons).
The doors at Broadhall Way have been revolving at breakneck pace throughout January, as Peter Taylor reshapes his team in his own image. Although Westwood, Willock, and psycho Fred all look like sound acquisitions, Rankin’s record suggests he is the archetypal journeyman (watch him score a hatrick on Saturday now). The other newbies lack experience, and while they may be excellent players, you would have to think that the introduction of so many fresh faces, coupled with the loss of three key first teamers, can not be a good thing for them.
Verdict: Weaker

Burton Albion
In: No one
Out: Andy Gooding (Rushden)
Burton must have one of the strongest and most settled squads in the league, which is probably why young Nigel hasn’t been busy during the window. With quality players like Shaun Harrad, John McGrath, and Daryl Clare in their ranks, the Brewers are well set to maintain their promotion challenge.
Verdict: No Change

The Mighty U’s
In: Paul Carden (Accrington, loan), Ben Farrell (Bedford), Lee McEvilly (Accrington, loan), Wayne Hatswell (Rushden), Mark Beesley (Forest Green Rovers).
Out: Leo Fortune-West (York).
On paper you would have to say JQ has done good business during the window. Hatswell is a solid addition to our already water-tight defence; Carden (pictured) and Evil are like superior versions of Danny Brown and LFW respectively; And Beesley’s link play could make all the difference. Like Stevenage, it remains to be seen how quickly the players will gel, but as ever I remain optimistic. Verdict: A-not-biased-at-all-honest-guv Stronger

The Rest:
Form team Exeter have lost Jamie Mackie, but Adam Stansfield has come in and taken over his mantle, and they look handily placed to break into the top five. Predictably, Forest Green’s form has dipped since Stuart Fleetwood stopped scoring, and although they managed to hang onto their top-scorer during the window, I suspect their lack of reinforcements will mean they fade away. No big changes at Ebbsfleet or Histon, and while I don’t see them making it into the play off place, it would be foolish to write either team off given their massive overachievement of the last few years . York are coming up on the rails, but have decided to handicap themselves by signing the Lemu. I suspect they have too much to do, but we’ll see. It should be an interesting run in anyway.