On the ball
with
the Manager
J
Welcome to today's visitors Ajax,
who come to Burnden Park with an
enviable reputation in European and
World soccer.
Originally it was planned that we
should play Warsaw club Legia, from
where we signed Tadeusz Nowak last
season, but in the end this fixture fell
th rough.
Ajax are our first oppostion of this
sort of level since we regained our place
in the First Division last season and I look
forward to seeing how we fare.
The pre-season build-up has gone well
with our aim to achieve peak fitness in
time for the first game of the new season
at home to Aston Villa on August 18.
In our first Anglo-Scottish Cup game
against Bury I was disappointed that we
didn't win although from the fitness
point of view I was pleased.
And then came our 3—1 win at
Oldham where, once again we weren't
really convincing in some ways although
it was just another step forward in our
aim to be ready for the big day.
We had a blow in that game when one
of our new signings, Len Cantello had to
leave the field with a slight groin strain
which caused him to miss the Bury
match.
Here there was nothing really signifi
cant and I do not expect him to be out
of action for any length of time.
Of course, we start the season without
Willie Morgan and Frank Worthington,
who are still in America. But as our fans
know we operate a squad system at
Burnden.
The ultimate object of this is for any
player who is out, through injury or
whatever reason, to be replaced by
another without the team being
weakened.
I like to think that by our signings
over the past months we have moved
nearer to this objective.
Once again, welcome to Ajax, I look
forward to an exciting tussle.
Front page picture
Alan Gowling heads the Wanderers' first goal against Bury in the Anglo-Scottish Cup
Picture with courtesy of Bolton Evening News
