SANDRIDGE Rovers boss Bob Fowler is looking for his young side to go goal crazy in 2008 as they bid to climb the Premier Division. Having lost top scorer Chris Wickens to London Colney in 2007, the Herts Senior County League side must share the goals arou

SANDRIDGE Rovers boss Bob Fowler is looking for his young side to go goal crazy in 2008 as they bid to climb the Premier Division.

Having lost top scorer Chris Wickens to London Colney in 2007, the Herts Senior County League side must share the goals around to improve their league position. Fowler said: "I think someone like Nicky Darke who is a fantastic talent should reach double figures. He has a great shot on him and when he is on song he is an absolute revelation and anybody would want him in their side. He needs to score more and Ryan Denys needs to score more. Ryan has played at Brentford and he is a fantastic player. He gets in great positions and sometimes due to bad luck he doesn't get the goals. He would be the first to admit he should be on treble what he is on in terms of goals.

"Stuart Love can score goals and he has been on a good run this year but we must not rely just on him. We play with a freedom that allows players to get in positions and I wish we scored more goals from different areas. We have one way of playing and that is to attack."

"We need to become consistent. We have beaten London Lions, drawn with Met Police, beaten Park Street in the Cup and we beat Whitewebbs. We can compete with the sides above us but it is our inability to string three or four games together that has held us back."

Regular Sandridge stars Aaron Baker and Robbie Heywood have caught the eye with their displays this term and Fowler said: "Aaron is a quality player. He has played 60 games for Sandridge and he is only 19. He will get better. Mitchell Heylock has been injured for eight weeks but he is coming back to fitness now and Robbie Heywood has had a tremendous season. Robbie has taken the armband and he is a tremendous lad, on and off the pitch. The responsibility has made him a better player. He has gone up once and I'm sure he can play at a much higher standard. He has a great build, great pace and is good in the air. It was a massive blow for us losing Chris Green who is now the captain of Enfield but Robbie has come in and performed as well as Chris has sometimes."

Fowler's squad has been boosted by the addition of Kevin Barton's youth side, now the reserves at Sandridge. Not only have the reserves regularly provided players for the first team they are also pushing at the top of the Reserve Division Two and Fowler is delighted. He said: "Kevin Barton and those players have improved us by 50 per cent as a club. We are better than we have ever been in the last 10 years. There is great depth to the squad. We have had some disappointments with Danny Green breaking his leg but the thing that has really stood out for me is that whenever I have called on the young reserves they have not weakened us one bit. We have called on Danny Green, Dean Adams, Casey Barton, Craig Purdy, Matty Hill and there are five or six others that are pushing for a place big time. Danny Green has been a permanent fixture for me and Dean Adams has also been a permanent fixture."

Weather permitting, Rovers go away to Hertford Heath eyeing a semi final place in the Herts Senior Centenary Trophy on Saturday. Sandridge were beaten 4-1 at home in the league by Heath and Fowler said: "We let ourselves down losing 4-1 at home and my players want to put that right. It hurt their pride and there is no need for motivation to come from me this week. If we turn up, we have a great chance of reaching the semi finals and I have got a feeling that we will turn up. We can't train at Sandridge at the moment because it is a bog. We are training on astro turf this week so we can play some football and we have done some street running.