Binfield are on a six game winning streak and travel to Uxbridge on Tuesday night – the side who they completed ‘The Great Escape’ against at the end of 2023/24.
A month ago, things didn’t look quite so rosy for the Moles. Seven goals conceded in back to back games against the Isthmian League South Central Division One’s top two and just two draws from their opening seven league games.
The free-scoring Mitch Parker departed and things looked familiar to the dark days of winter 2023 when the Moles were rock bottom.
Now, in early November, Ross Weatherstone’s side have six wins in a row, five in the league and one in the Velocity Trophy – an impressive 4-1 win away at Dulwich Hamlet.
Parker is back and firing, the Moles have added Holyport’s Kickie Dzimba who appears to be taking the step up in his stride, former Thatcham Town and Arbroath forward Daniel Fosu, and a defensive solidity that appears to defy those two heavy end-of-September defeats with just four goals conceded in six.
Goalkeeper Coleridge Fubler has been key to the Moles improvement – the goalkeeper earned the Moles Player of the Month award for October but his first challenge was to have the mental fortitude to get through those final couple of games in September.
The 21-year-old Bermudan stopper – one of seven players in the squad with links to the Caribbean island – made his debut against Hanworth Villa – a 2-2 draw – and then faced Farnham and Kingstonian before the Moles six game winning run.
Speaking after a 2-0 win over South Park on Saturday, Fubler said: “These wins mean the most, it shows we’re willing to put up a fight, not concede and not let them take advantage. I prefer these kinds of games and today was an outstanding performance.”
“I think there is a better bench quality now”
One supporter told Football in Berkshire one of the key things for the Moles was a having a deeper squad than that which started the season.
“The goalkeeper is performing well, the back four are disciplined and the forwards are causing problems. Plus I think there is a better bench quality now, probably down to the depth of squad,” he told FiB.
Making the transformation even more impressive is the absence of manager Ross Weatherstone – just named Isthmian League Manager of the Month for October – who is recovering from surgery after a skin cancer diagnosis. The former Oxford United and Boston United defender was in the dugout for the wins over Sutton Common Rovers and Guernsey but has subsequently taken a leave of absence with Andy Bullett and Keith Pennicott-Bowen taking charge.
“I was there on Saturday and it’s clear that Mitch Parker is an influence, Bully is a strong, positive communicator, Bowes just loves the game and had a real say and the players all seem together at the minute. They are well organised, there was a never give in feeling,” our supporter said.
Pennicott-Bowen meanwhile – a highly respected former player, manager and coach across Binfield, Bracknell Town, Thatcham Town and Hungerford Town had his own mischievous thoughts as to the turnaround: “Yeah a positive turnaround also coinciding with my son Theo [Pennicott-Bowen] making his debut as well as his first at Step 4 in the first game vs Sutton Common, winning all five league games that he has started.”
The first team coach though suggested there had been no panic despite the start to the season: “There were no red buttons being pushed as we new it was a tough run of games in September vs top budget teams.
“Honestly we knew avoiding relegation would be a realistic achievement this season looking at the division and teams.”
He added that the management team had simply stuck to their plan: “Rosco and Bully to their credit stuck to their beliefs that the process they’ve put in place would serve us season long.
“So we still have a long long way to go this season, lots of hard work but we’ve been able to build a platform to currently work together and keep progressing as best possible.”
There is certainly a long way to go with the 2024/25 season mere months old – they face the division’s other form side Uxbridge on Tuesday night, but for Binfield going forward there should be no need for another Great Escape come May.
