You lot know me by now, I love a good rumour especially if it seems to have some substance. One has reached me today and like a good little blogger with nothing better to do before Harry Potter starts at 7.30pm, I thought I’d write about it.
There’s lots of speculation about which players might be targeted by Danny and Nicky in the coming days and weeks. Popular opinion has a wide man joining us to replace the Harry Anderson shaped hole left by the young man departing. There are also persistent rumours of a versatile defender coming in, one already known to the Cowley brothers and one who might give us a degree of further cover.
At first glance it would seem like we need a player capable of filling one of the wide defensive positions. Callum Howe is putting significant pressure on Sean Raggett and Luke Waterfall, but Sam Habergham and Bradley Wood are forced to play through the pain barrier if they pick up a knock. It seems highly likely that we will recruit someone to offer that cover, bring personality to the squad but also not break the bank. I imagine the money will be saved for the game changer up front.
A little bird has told me today that a certain Matt Fry is unsettled at York City, and if that is the case I can see him being a potential target. There are rumours that DC has spoken to a defender he already knows, one with whom he worked at Braintree. Matt Fry goes back much further than that though, he turned out for Concord Rangers under DC too.
He is a left sided defender, but I’m reliably informed he can play a ‘Lee Beevers’ role, which translated means do whatever is asked of him across the back four. He would definitely offer cover as well as the versatility we have lacked since Lee’s injury. The rumour seems very plausible from our end. The stumbling block would be York City.
I am surprised Fry has fallen out of favour there. York are bottom despite beating North Ferriby, and have been shipping goals for fun. The arrival of Sean Newton will do nothing to stem that flow, and against City the other week they looked disjointed and completely lacking in organisation. Matt Fry could surely have a role to play, but if his face doesn’t fit then he may not get a chance. He was a McNamara signing, and now Jackie has gone maybe the new regime wants to stick with players he knows, like Newton. (at this point I wish I had emojis on my blog, because I’d use that ‘laughing / crying’ face numerous times. Sean Newton a defender?)
Before any readers start talking about signing players from lowly teams, remember this. We released Jon Nolan with a flea in his ear, maligned by our fans as work shy and having an attitude problem. Just a few days later he rocked up at Grimsby and gave them an injection of life they needed for their promotion charge. If Matty Fry is indeed surplus to requirements at Bootham Crescent then it may be a case of their so-called trash being our treasure.
Fry does have a decent background having started out at West Ham before making 13 loan appearances for Gillingham and 32 more on loan with Charlton Athletic. From there he appeared to be in free-fall, leaving the Hammers to find permanent first team football. He had a brief spell with Bradford (6 appearances) before stopping off at Concord Rangers, helping them to beat Lowestoft in the 2013 play off success, a win masterminded by some bloke called Danny Cowley. Fry was soon off in search of football at a higher level, this time with injury hit spells at Dartford (16 games) and Eastleigh (3).
He wound up back at Concord Rangers and the Cowley effect saw him again rejuvenated. He followed the managers to Braintree and made 29 appearances as they finished third. On signing for Braintree, Fry told his local paper:
“It is no secret that I have a good relationship with Danny. I turned down some pretty good offers before I came back to Concord last summer and it was a good move for me. Danny was one of the main reasons behind that and all the boys will tell you how much of a pleasure it is to play for him. When he got the job he gave me a call but it was all professionally handled and it was a move I was keen to make.”
He also credited our manager with helping him work towards fully recovering from injuries that blighted the early part of his career. He spoke of Danny and Nicky drawing up individual training schedules targeted at building strength in key areas and avoiding repeats of the injuries that perhaps stunted his career after some impressive outings for Charlton. Like most of their former players, Fry likes Danny and Nicky a lot.
It was somewhat of a surprise then, when instead of coming to Sincil Bank in the summer, he chose to play for Jackie McNamara at York. Of course he is long gone, and perhaps the defender has had a change of heart and feels that ours are the managers whom he can entrust his career to. he’s only 26 and still has time to make his name in League Football. He did have a two-year deal but if York are remodelling perhaps there could be a ‘mutual consent’ situation arise that see’s him move for nothing?
It might just be that I’m speculating wildly to avoid having to go through to the kitchen and help my missus wash up. If this article is followed by five more about Blair Turgott, Ricky Miller, Simeon Akinola and Danny Rowe (Macclesfield and Fylde) then you’ll know these keyboard battering hands haven’t suffered the indignity of a Fairy Liquid bath.
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