2021/22 review of Parson Drove's disappointing Thurlow Nunn First Division North campaign

A season of high hopes at Parson Drove came to a close in disappointing fashion.

Joint-boss Robbie Harris went into the 2021/22 Thurlow Nunn First Division North season with hopes of finishing in the play-off spots, but saw his side end up second-from-bottom, with only Wisbech St Mary worse off.

There were a number of factors which played a part in that demise, but the worry is that the majority were self-inflicted.

In the first half of the campaign, a lack of on-pitch discipline cost Drove - with a Karl Anderson red card after seven minutes against Huntingdon Town in September perhaps epitomising that.

As the season progressed, commitment issues plagued the camp as Harris and Gary Haime struggled to field a consistent side.

Naturally, therefore, there were plenty of underwhelming results.

An 8-0 thrashing at Sheringham was a low point, while they also shipped six at Leiston Reserves early in the season.

However, there were positives. Strangely enough, Drove seemed to up their game in accordance with the quality of their opponents.

A slender win over Sheringham came back in September, and one month later they drew with eventual runners-up Harleston Town.

Those kind of results prove that, when equipped with a full strength squad who are willing to work for one another, Drove can mix it with the better sides.

Next season, they must assemble a group of players willing to put in a shift week in, week out.

Finishing second bottom in the First Division North has to go down as a failure. Drove have a big summer ahead.

• Fenland Citizen Player of the Season: Ryan Lennon

Popped up with a number of important moments, and often found himself on the scoresheet on Drove’s better days.

• Result of the Season: 1-0 vs Sheringham

It may have come early in the season, but beating the champions is no mean feat. Lennon’s 25th minute effort sealed a momentous win.

Joint manager Robbie Harris' comments on an underwhelming campaign:

• “We’re disappointed with a couple of things. One of them is obviously where we finished up.

“It wasn’t where we wanted to be in any way, shape or form. It’s a bit frustrating that commitment levels weren’t quite there across the board.

“I think if we had that, we’d have been a bit closer to where we wanted to be. That’s the biggest disappointment - we gave people a chance who didn’t take it.”

• “It’s sometimes easier to set a game plan against teams at the top. You can set yourself up to be hard to break down and hard to beat, trying to hit them on the counter. I think everyone understands that quite easily.

“Against some of the lower teams when you try to put detailed game plans in place, sometimes that gets a bit lost.

“We’ve had some great days against some of the best teams in the league, and we need to take that forward into next year and build on that.”

• “We’ve got a list of players to look at as every club does, and we’re in the process of speaking to people to try and get them on board.

“The project isn’t just to stop at this league - we want to go higher. We know that’s probably a few-year plan, but it is a case of building and moving forward, and we want people who want to be part of that project.”

• “We obviously want to finish higher than we did this season. There will be more games to play, so we’ll need a bigger squad as well.”

Make sure to read our season reviews for Wisbech Town, March Town and Wisbech St Mary.