Plenty has been made of Tiverton Town's youthful make-up this season, so manager Martyn Rogers' decision to bring in a seasoned central midfielder in the form of Matt Bye should not have come as a surprise.
The former Bideford captain, who slotted straight into central midfield for the Yellow' 1-0 defeat away to Totton on Saturday, re-joined the club for a third stint last week.
It certainly was not a return to live long in the memory – Bye deflected the ball into his own net for the winner 74 minutes into a match which also saw James Richards dismissed as Tivvy slumped to a second straight defeat.
But Rogers' decision to add a bit more steel to a slightly lightweight central-midfield area makes plenty of sense.
For starters, the undoubtedly talented Adam Bilcock looks set for a prolonged spell on the sidelines with a recurrence of the knee injury that he sustained on the opening day against Larkhall Athletic.
In the immediate aftermath of his relapse in the FA Cup draw against Bideford, Rogers hinted that he may require surgery to cure the problem.
Knee surgery usually means a prolonged spell on the sidelines and, even if the worst does not come to the worst for the former Crediton United player, non-invasive treatment for the injury could still rule him out for a while.![Get Adobe Flash player]()
That leaves some pretty inexperienced options in the centre of the park, particularly if Rogers continues to alternate skipper Richards between defence and midfield.
Jimmy Hinds looks he has the potential to be a decent player. He has an uncanny ability to time his runs into the box, ghost into space and be in the right place at the right time.
This instinct is something only certain players have, but he needs to sharpen up his finishing if he is to maximise his promise – his performance against Wantage Town being a case in point.
He undoubtedly has bags of potential – he just needs a more ruthless streak to exploit it.
Hinds has found himself enjoying plenty of game time this season but, short of when Richards pushes up, it can leave the Yellows' midfield looking slightly lightweight and failing to take a grip on games.
Critics of Tivvy this season have claimed that they play too many long balls, but I would argue this is more down to a lack of presence and experience in central midfield.
Rogers has needed a figure to take the game by the scruff of the neck and tell players when to play it long or short.
This is where Bye comes in. An experienced player who has just spent four years at Bideford, he has been around the block more than most at Ladysmead.
Given that he captained the Robins for some of that suggests he does have the quality to succeed with his new team.
'A big talker' is how Rogers described him, and that is exactly what the likes to Hinds, Bilcock, Tom Tricker and Ethan Phillips need if they are to exert more of an influence in games.
