If Jerome Sinclair hadn't come here with his history and was instead a league 2 player who had fallen out of favour at their club and was on trial looking to re-establish themselves in the game, I think people would have viewed his performances in pre-season very differently.
He has looked strong and able to hold the ball up well, and looked reasonably sharp, often without a huge amount of service. I'm not saying that he's anywhere near being ready to start upfront against Derby but I think that he'd be close to getting a contract as cover for an injured Sam Baldock, with the expectation that another striker also comes in.
The bar has been set pretty high for "Most Ridiculous Post of the Summer" but a couple yesterday that Robinson should be sacked if we sign Sinclair are right up there. But the same posters were also dismissing Jodi Jones before he'd kicked a ball and he's looking a real find so maybe that says it all!
I'm going into hiding after saying this but I actually thought Sinclair looked half decent last night... Used his strength to hold up the ball well, didn't look off the pace, and absolutely did not look out of place in a L1 side against Championship opposition. He's nowhere near Matty Taylor quality, but he'd be cheap as hell to sign and has a bigger point to prove than any other player in our squad because it'll be his last chance at a career. IF we sign another striker, Sinclair as a fourth choice/PJT starter on a one year deal doesn't seem too bad, but ONLY if we sign another striker to cover Baldock AND if we have other positions covered without using all our squad places up.
As for the rest of the team, a few players I thought had good games:
Brown - A proper no nonsense defender. I know his signing felt underwhelming at the time due to the lack of any other signings, but for me he is a quality signing who'll really push for a starting 11 spot.
McGuane - While I still hope we bring in a proper CDM, I was shocked just how good McGuane looked there. Looked much closer to the player we saw during his first loan, and I loved how he used the ball from the deeper position. Whilst I know we used a creative midfielder here last season and it didn't work a lot of the time, McGuane is bigger, stronger and faster than Kane (albeit much more limited in passing) and I think with the more regular gametime he should get this season he'll turn into a proper player.
Smyth - Was it a perfect performance? No... But you can see some real talent in there. The cross field pass he pinged to Jones in the first half was sublime. He's still raw, and I think we won't see a lot of him early season, but you can see he has some real talent and I hope he's given a real chance to push for the starting 11 in cup games.
Jones - What a player. If/when we sign him, we'll have the two best, and most fragile wingers in the league in Browne and him. If both stay fit we're in for a real gluttony of goals again this season.
Golding - This kid is SEVENTEEN. WOW. Arguably our brightest youth prospect since Shandon Baptiste, possibly even brighter than him. Is he ready for regular L1 football? Probably not. But all the signs are there of a quality young centre half and I can't wait to see how he does this season, whether that's with us or in the National League. He'll be a starter by 20. He's that good.
Browne - Despite his injury problems this boy looks fit. Last night he only got 45, but he looked quick, strong and powerful. One of his biggest weaknesses with us in the past was not tracking back enough, and yesterday on several occasions he chased down a West Brom player in our half and won the ball back putting us back on the front foot. Like I said earlier, if he stays fit, he's one of the best wingers in the league. And this time he's OUR player.
