Hi,

forgive me crashing in on your forum (i promise this won't be the only time and will dip in from time to time ), but i need a bit of help/explanation here.curiousity got the better of me.

i'm a bit of a nonleague fan-and follow two clubs at national league level (the old conference )

forest green and dover.

ironically, both clubs now have ex hartlepool goalkeepers :

maxsted and rafferty.

I'm just curious to how they both got released and what you think of them respectivley .

I would hazard a guess that at start of last season, you had 3 keepers and could only keep 2-so rafferty was released and signed for dover about october.
that woud have made maxsted no 2 keeper , but then released over the summer ,and as forest green needed a keeper in a hurry after their no1 was injured, he signed about a month ago and is playing as the fgr keeper is injured.

woud that be about right re: the circumstances. ?
appreciating they neve got much gametime with yourselves-how do you rate them ?

i've seen rafferty about 6 times-and he is impressive i thought (your no 1 keper must therefore be very good.

only seen superted as he is now known in a psf where he played a blinder and defeated cardiffs first team on his own.
( i think it was a bit of a one off )
reports say in first two league matches he has been fine.
i'm think he will need to settle to be forest greens no2 over time-but seems a capable no2.

have you seen enogh of them to rate them ?

good luck for the season-big aspirations of forest green joining you in the league over next two seasons
(hope its not the other way around )

Scott Flinders was very much number 1 ahead of them both. Not sure about maxstead but rafterty was worthy of a run in the side. Fair play to him, he could have stayed as number 2 but took a chance by 'upping sticks' and moving to Dover and has proved to have been the 100% right decision.

Good luck to the lad.

I thought Rafferty worked on the Taxi's now?

You mean to tell me he didn't leave Pools to pursue a career outside of football and is still playing in goal?

I am shocked.

I'd be very surprised if anyone has seen enough of Maxsted to give you an objective assessment.

I believe Rafferty got a major bollocking off our goalkeeper coach at the time Stephen Pears at half time in some friendly. Soon after the club announced he had left the club to focus on a life outside of football. (I think he denied this on Twitter) and then signed for Forest Green.

Saw him once or twice and did nothing wrong. Never seen Maxted play but signed by Colin Cooper I think who didnt have a great record of signing players to be honest.

The keeper at the time was Scott Flinders and no he wasnt.

Stephen pears finished raffertys pools career at Whitby town at half time he wasn't seen again around pools, luckily for us pears is long gone and we have a decent keeper coach in tony Caig

thanks all.

nice win for you last night.
good luck in the league

The mere mention of Stephen pears really irritates me.

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See Scott Flinders warmed up for Saturday by saving a couple of penalties in the shoot out last night.

He's nailed on to be their MoM against Pools.

Flinders was ok at penalties, simply because his dreadful positioning wasnt exposed at them.

If our strikers cant find a way past him then we may aswell give up now.

I think we are all preparing for a Flinders masterclass. It's nailed on tbh. He's going to be like Peter Brezovan was for Swindon all those years ago.

I think he'll be shit and Rakish Bingham will knock at least 2 past him easily.

Hope his contact lenses don't fall out during game

was a reasonable keeper who has moved on.

no hardship and looks like we now have 2 capable keepers so in a much stronger position. we just need to banish this horrendous record we have had over the years at york

Our players should know to keep the shots low by his legs. Pretty much guaranteed a goal each time.

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