On the face of it 2 great signings, gives us all hope for next season.
Sam Austin m'lord Sam Austin, anyone
Kidderminster are my local club and I saw them 6 or 7 times last season. I reckon Notts have made two very good signings.
Austin has been a consistent performer for several years, often at right back. But at the beginning of last season, he was moved into a more attacking role and was a revelation there. As his recent record shows, he’s got plenty of goal scoring potential, often with a thumping shot.
Bajrami only played for Kidderminster for the one season, but it was obvious from early on in his spell there, that he could play at a higher level. He’s not a “win it and whack it “ type of defender, but relies more on being in the right position and playing accurate passes.
Kidderminster in recent years have had a good record of sending players on to better things in higher leagues, eg Marvin Johnson, Jamille Matt, Joe Lolley, Chey Dunkley, Joe Ironside. I think that there’s a good chance that Notts two new signings can do just as well.
Overall our close season recruitment is looking very promising. It’ll be a struggle to fit all these players into the starting line up. LW has a vytal role to play in sorting out the right combination and tactics.
One more signing needed I reckon - as others have said, we still lack a hard man in midfield. Somebody like Neal Bishop would be ideal.
Positive signings!
Not sure if anyone else has pointed this out yet but Sam Austin and Matt Palmer will also know each other having spent 2-3 years together at Burton. Although admittedly Austin didn't get many first team games back then.
I like that we’re signing club captains. Natural leaders on the pitch is no bad thing. I’m sure Lee, Bishop, Ravenhill and Davies were all captains when we signed them.
I always like to see what the fans at the player's former club are saying, and in this case Kiddy fans are very complimentary about both of the players we've signed, plus, as you say, the two other players we've signed from the National League North.
Once again with the signings of Austin and Bajrami we're recruiting players who have decent first-team experience but who are still young and whose careers are on an upward trajectory. This bodes well, and is in stark contrast to many years under previous owners where we signed far too many players in decline.
I'm still looking for at least one more killer signing in midfield, to add more height, strength and aggression in there, but it's clear that a lot of thought and research has gone into the signings so far. As promised, the Reedtz brothers are focused on finding emerging (possibly under-valued) talent at the right price, which is the right approach for a club like Notts. We aren't Wrexham with all their money, but we're an attractive proposition to good young players wanting to make the step up from smaller clubs in the National League.