Sears: Too Early to Get Carried Away But the Signs Are Positive
Friday, 2nd Oct 2020 13:21

Freddie Sears is buzzing after Town’s tremendous start to the new campaign and believes lessons have been learned from last season when they also started brightly, only to eventually finish in 11th place.

Even allowing for the absence through injury of striker James Norwood for a minimum six weeks, Sears believes the current squad is better equipped to ensure there is no repeat of what happened last season, when Paul Lambert’s team led the table in January before things tailed off quite dramatically.

Sears said: “It’s too early to be getting carried away but I feel the signs are positive. Last season was a big learning curve for us all and that experience of what did go wrong could be the big difference this season.

“It has been a really positive start with three wins out of three and no goals conceded.

“It’s one that everyone is happy with and we’re all proud of the defensive record, not just the lads at the back.

“The keeper and the back four get the credit for the clean sheets but, from a team point of view, when you’re not conceding goals it means you have a much better chance of winning games than losing games. The whole team takes a bit of pride in that as well.”

Sears travels to Milton Keynes tomorrow looking for his first league goal of the season to add to the double he netted in the 3-0 Carabao Cup win against Bristol Rovers at Portman Road.

“Every time you play you want to score,” he added. “I was happy to get off the mark for the season with the two early goals but I’ll always be looking for more.

“I think it will be important this year that goals come from midfield and wide.

“Last year, obviously, it was Kayden and Nors we were looking to for the goals, but if you look at our games this season Bish and Gwion each have two as well, while Nolo has one, and it looks as if the goals can come from different areas of the team.”

Sears, who missed a lot of football after sustaining a cruciate ligament injury in the East Anglian derby at Norwich in February last year, is again being used in what has become a familiar role for him on the left of a three-man attack.

He said: “I’ve been here a while now so people know I run up and down the line. The manager has been good this year in that he doesn’t want us doing as much defensive work and would rather see his wingers doing their work going in the other direction.

“That gives us more of a licence to leave the likes of Chambo and Wardy to deal with the runners and they’re comfortable with doing that.

“The gaffer has tweaked a few things during the summer. Obviously, the formation is one of them and it looks as if we’re going to stick that way.

“In terms of having more of an identity, the main message coming across was that the football had to be better and I think you’ll agree that has been the case. I know we’re only three games into the new season but it has been more positive than it was towards the end of last season.”

But Sears admitted his role as the teams preferred taker of free-kicks is in danger of coming to an end. “The boys are trying to get me off the free-kicks and I’ve subbed myself after the last game.

“In training they’ve been flying in the top corner and I’ve practiced and practiced them. Even if they haven’t come off in the games I still feel confident over a dead ball, but I know I haven’t done myself justice.

“Last season we had Luke Garbutt, who has a wand of a left foot, and this season Judgey’s been injured and not playing regularly. There aren’t too many who fancy it so it’s between me, Chambo and Andre Dozzell at the minute.

“Chambo does fancy himself so we’ll see what happens tomorrow. We all practice them in training but it’s not everyone who is comfortable in the role, although I’ve always thought it is a lot easier than you might think.

“You never know, there might be a rocket from Chambo. I’m not sure about the top corner, maybe the bottom corner!”

Photo: TWTD

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