The next of our report cards is focussing on the centre of midfield. We have seen a more consistent pairing in this area with less chopping and changing in this area than last season. It has been a mixed performance from the CM’s, with two excelling, and two disappointing me. I have put Osadebe with the wingers, as he has featured as a winger or attacking midfielder more.
Liam Kinsella
A hard worker, who always wears the shirt with pride. Liam could have easily left the club when we were relegated a couple of years ago. However he has once again shown his loyalty by extending a contract once more. He is the heartbeat and driving force of our Midfield, a ball winner who never gives up. I feel he has played better the more the season has gone on, especially in the 4-1-4-1 formation.
He battles hard in midfield. The games where he has looked lost, or ineffective, have often been when our midfield is overrun. However it does not stop his running or effort. One thing that I feel Kins could do more, is aid the attack. He rarely chips in with goal, and with his only assist being the pass to Nurse before he went on a run and scored against Bradford, Kins could be doing more to help our attack. I know he is primarily a ball winner, but with that little bit more from him offensively, we could turn the creativity around.
Vital Verdict – A hard worker, who fans like having in the team. Wins the ball and we can always expect high energy – 7/10
Stuart Sinclair
Sinclair has only started a handful of games this season, and he has only come off the bench a few times too. It is quite easy to analyse and report on Sinclair’s season, given that he cannot get regular game time. He does put himself around well, however I feel that he is not better than Kinsella. They are the same type of player, however the more I see of Sinclair, the more I see him as a back-up.
I think he is a fantastic professional, and his off the field work, and community work is exemplary. On the field, I think we all can see that his best days may have passed. You cannot fault his commitment, and I expect he will be ready whenever called upon to work hard for the team, but his lower number of minutes compared to last season is a big indicator that he may not be getting a new contract come the end of the season.
