King’s Lynn Town open their National League season against Southend - Chris Lakey reports on two new players firmly in the spotlight
Ian Culverhouse will be hoping opposites attract as summer arrivals Gold Omotayo and Junior Morias look to emulate the achievements of Michael Gash and Adam Marriot at The Walks this season.
Both have left Lynn, Gash a ‘victim’ of the club’s decision to go full-time and Marriott’s exit collateral damage from the need to furlough players because of coronavirus which streaked havoc on football in 2020-21.
Omotayo and Morias will lead the line – and carry the hopes – against Southend in Saturday’s season opener.
Chalk and cheese, says manager Culverhouse, a man not known for hyperbole but who brightens up when he considers the possibility of the new recruits becoming new heroes at The Walks
“They excite me, they really do, because there is an energy and enthusiasm about them,” he said.
“Good characters. Chalk and cheese really – one is very studious in what he does and the other one is the joker around it.
“But it is a combination there that could be exciting. Again we have got to get the ball in the right place for them and let them do their work but they could be a threat in this league, they could be a pairing people look at. What I want them to do is make sure that every game they go into, the centre-halves know they have been in a game. If they do that whatever the score is, that is all I can ask for.”
There’s little doubt who the joker is: Morias. The former Peterborough United striker spent most of a photoshoot at The Walks on Thursday ribbing team-mates about their dress sense, choice of footwear and posing ability for the photographer. In fact, just about everything and anyone was fair game.
But there was no escaping the fact that the mood was good - which is why Culverhouse has Morias down as one of his three captains: Michael Clunan wears the armband, and with Morias and Aaron Jones form a sub-committee the manager relies upon to keep harmony in the group.
“It’s about leadership,” said Culverhouse. “He is one of the leaders, one of the captains. I always have three captains I can talk to and see what we can do for the dressing room and keep the dressing room on side. He is one of those – he is a strong character in there. We have three or four younger boys in there who can step up and be leaders so we are quite blessed in that position.”
Culverhouse has known for a week his starting XI to face Southend, but while there is an argument that it’s a good time to be playing a side relegated from League Two and playing at this level for the first time, he’s quick to play down over-confidence from some quarters because of the financial disparities.
“I have heard ridiculous comments that we will be challenging,” he said. “We won’t be challenging. Don’t get me wrong, we are going to go into every game and try and win and we are going to try and accumulate as many points as possible. But let’s be sensible about it – what this league is about lately is getting ridiculous. What full-time gives us is a better chance to be competitive. What it has given us is a chance to put a whole new team together very, very quickly and a new way of playing together as well.”
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