Canfer can give Bury new dimension
Ben Chenery believes his latest Blues capture — a goalscoring midfielder — can add an exciting new dimension to his Bury Town team.
Ben Chenery believes his latest Blues capture — a goalscoring midfielder — can add an exciting new dimension to his Bury Town team.
Ollie Canfer has become the latest in a recent flurry of players to cross the ‘yellow-blue divide’ after joining following a summer switch to fierce local rivals AFC Sudbury.
The 26-year-old actually turned Bury down for their rivals, but is now hoping to endear himself to them by helping maintain the west Suffolk Blues’ impressive start to the campaign since suffering relegation.
Canfer, who came to prominence during four seasons at Hadleigh United, scored 18 goals when the Brettsiders won the Thurlow Nunn League Premier Division title in 2013-14, got his first taste of Ryman League football while at Brightlingsea last season, scoring 10 goals in 31 appearances as the R’s narrowly missed out on a play-off spot.
After agreeing a deal at Ram Meadow until the end of the season over the weekend, watching Saturday’s 2-0 win over Great Wakering Rovers, Canfer made his Blues’ bow as a half-time substitute in Tuesday’s 1-1 home draw with Cambridgeshire neighbours Soham Town Rangers, playing on the left of midfield.
“Obviously with David Lampshire going on to Mildenhall we needed another attacking option,” said Chenery.
“He was someone I had spoken to in the summer as I knew he would give us goals from midfield.
“I think we put a lot of crosses in the box but we are needing someone who is willing to break into the box and get across the defender and Ollie will do that — he can give us a new dimension.”
Stowmarket-based Canfer made 14 appearances for Sudbury this season, seven of them as a substitute, without scoring for the Yellows.
He was said to have left AFC last week to seek regular first-team football after losing his place to former Bury Town player Ross Bailey.
“He is match fit, but Sudbury are similar to us in that when you are winning games the opportunities to get back into the team get shorter,” said Chenery, whose side travel to league leaders Cray Wanderers on Saturday (3pm) in fourth place in the table, eight points behind their opponents but with a game in hand.
The Blues chief added: “Sudbury have been very good that when the lad said he wants to leave they have let him go to find the first-team football he wants.
“I think he will be a real big asset to our squad.
“He is multi-functional, a midfielder who can play in the hole or up front. With the budgets in non-League we need to be taking people that perform in different positions and he can. He will give us another dimension as it will allow us to play two up front, should I wish us to.”
Four points from the last two games has seen Bury leapfrog rivals AFC Sudbury in the table, with the Yellows now in sixth place and trailing the Blues by two points. The first league meeting between the sides in five years takes place in south Suffolk on January 2 (3pm).
Bury get their Suffolk Premier Cup campaign under way at Kirkley and Pakefield on Wednesday (7.45pm).
