Haverhill Borough boss Harry Zachariou hopes to add experienced bodies to guide young side

Haverhill Borough boss Harry Zachariou has revealed he is hoping to add ‘three or four’ experienced players to his side before the opening day of the season to help his young squad - who he believes ‘could go anywhere’ - flourish.

Zachariou, who was appointed as Rhys Shulver’s successor in May, has transformed Borough’s first-team squad with an influx of players from his successful Haverhill Rovers Under-16s team – who he won the Veo Suffolk Under-18s Midweek Cup and Eastern Junior Alliance Under-16 Blue Division with last term.

Only a few members of last season’s first-team squad remain after the new boss asked which players wanted to stay at the club for the upcoming season.

While he is delighted with the quality his young guns have shown so far in pre-season, Zachariou is hoping the experienced additions will help guide his squad through their maiden campaign in Step 6 level.

“Playing against men is tough, because we’re playing in a league where there’s big budgets about and we’ve got no budget, so I’m relying on talented young kids, lads who may want to play Step 6 but haven’t played it before, or who are older,” said Zachariou.

“What I’m hoping for is some really good talented men who want to help these youngsters on their journey.

“I would honestly say, I don’t think there will be another team in the country at Step 6 that is going to blood this many youngsters.

“These boys in two years, they could go anywhere, I believe. It won’t be long before people start knocking on their doors when they see them play. When they’re 18, they might have 70 or 80 Step-6 games under their belt.”

Zachariou will take charge of his first competitive Borough match, in the Thurlow Nunn League First Division North, on Saturday, July 27 against visiting Whittlesey Athletic (3pm).

And his side will be buoyed by the results they have picked up in pre-season so far.

A 7-1 victory over Rovers’ newly-formed Under-23s outfit was followed by a 2-2 draw with FC Clacton, and 1-1 scoreline with Cambridge University Press. Zachariou fielded 10 16-year-olds against Clacton.

Asked what he has learned about his side from their first games in men’s football, Zachariou, who admitted he is excited and anxious ahead of the new season, said: “We can battle and compete physically, which I was a bit apprehensive about.

“We are inexperienced, so we were doing quite a few things wrong, which is getting less each game because they’re learning.

“They have talent, control, the touch and the mindset to do well because technically they’re as good as anyone and everyone we’ve played so far we’ve dominated possession.

“If you know anything about me, my goal is to win the league. It’s my mental state, I can’t have it any other way and I won’t allow the psychology to go any other way. The deal is, every game we play we’re out to win it.

“We’ve got a mountain to climb against teams like Haverhill Rovers who are on our doorstep that have got a big budget this year. They’ve signed players on good money and they need to get results. Baring in mind the team finished second from bottom last year, anything better is good.”

Borough are looking for any players who have played, or want to test themselves, at Step 6 level as well as sponsors for the upcoming season – contact harryzak@hotmail.co.uk for more information.