Haverhill Borough boss Harry Zachariou delighted with start to Thurlow Nunn League First Division North campaign as former Ipswich Town defender Joe Robinson joins on loan from Newmarket Town

Haverhill Borough boss Harry Zachariou admitted that his side ‘could not have expected a better start’ to their Thurlow Nunn League First Division North campaign and has bolstered his squad with the loan signing of a former Ipswich Town defender.

Borough, who finished second from bottom last term but were handed a reprieve from relegation, have won three of their opening five league matches this season and have also progressed to the second round of the Thurlow Nunn League Challenge Cup.

Four second-half goals saw Zachariou’s side, which contained seven 16 year olds, defeat Swaffham Town 4-0 at The New Croft on Saturday, which capped off a start to the season beyond the Borough boss’ wildest dreams.

“The start has been excellent really, we couldn’t have wanted or expected a better start,” he said.

“Three out of five, nine points, there’s not a team in the league who hasn’t dropped points. We wanted to be competitive in all of the games, we’ve been competitive in all of the games and we wanted to not be in a relegation battle.

“You give these young lads chances and they’ve been delivering in the mix with some good older boys and it’s working out really well. But obviously, it’s a long season, lots of games, the boys have colleges to start, they’ve got under-18s to start, so it’s just about trying to manage everything.”

Part of the reason that Borough have made a bright start to the campaign is because Zachariou instructs his young side to play with freedom, and not with a looming fear of pressure or being afraid of making a mistake. To help this, he has added experienced heads to the dressing room in Brandon McKay (striker), Charlie Holmes (versatile), Ryan Swallow (midfielder) and Joe Robinson (defender).

The latter, a 28-year-old former Ipswich Town professional, has joined on loan from Step 4 outfit Newmarket Town as he looks to re-build his fitness following a cruciate ligament injury.

On Saturday, Robinson, who is from Haverhill, played alongside three 16 year olds in Borough’s back-four, with another 16-year-old Zac Tuvey in between the sticks. Moreover, The New Croft outfit are captained by 20-year-old Kieran Scanlan, but Zachariou stated the group’s dynamic is working wonders.

“The boys were not sure about this season, the young boys especially,” he said.

“But now they’re all in, the young boys have got the respect of the older boys. It was the unknown, but now if you speak to the older boys, they’ve got no problem with it.

“(In the) second half (of games), we come to fruition. They’re (the players) young, they’re fit, they’re energetic, they listen, so we’re pounding teams away in the second half – even in the games we lost, we were the better team in the second half.

“Every game is a free hit, there’s no pressure on any game. When they’re playing in the under-18s, they’re expected to win, they want to win everything they’re in.

“With Borough, we want to play the right way and see if we can win that way.”

Zachariou’s side return to action tonight, as begin their Isuzu FA Vase campaign with a trip to St Margaretsbury (7.45pm), who they defeated 4-1 in the League Challenge Cup earlier this month.

Borough will then travel to Wivenhoe Town on Tuesday (7.45pm).