I wish to comment on where the trench was dug.
The area the trench was dug, in my design, cut across the Court of the Priests north of and including the stairs going up to the Ulam (Porch) of the Temple. Some remains of this staircase may have been uprooted or seen. Also, if the cut were to be made farther to the south, it may cut across the site of the Laver, in which case, some remains of a pit or cistern could be encountered.
I predict this to be a definite possibility.
This unsurpervised trench is one respect helps me-- it allows people like myself to have no contraction in my work on the temple's location.