Update from the Manager

As an end to the lockdown is looking really promising, I thought I would give you an update on what’s been happening over the past few months.

It’s actually been quite a surreal time over the last 3-4 months living with the COVID-19 pandemic, but hopefully it’s a situation we won’t ever find ourselves in again! Utilising the spare time was essential and trying to keep oneself busy was a task we all had to endure.

During this time I was able to maintain and build on relationships with players (old and new) and also spend time with the current squad on a variety of tasks. It was a useful period to discuss and reflect on this past season with some constructive conversations on how we can collectively get better. One thing that became very apparent during talks with the current squad was that they believed that we can improve and agreed that we were well below par at times last season.

To be considered to be in the group of ‘top teams’ in any league, you need to be consistent with your performances and have the values in place to underpin this. The past few months have allowed us to evaluate things objectively and we have come to some excellent conclusions on where we can improve. We are all now looking forward to getting back to playing football.....obviously when the time is right!

With regard to the squad; the vast majority of last season’s squad have agreed to re-sign as it is very much ‘unfinished business’. At this point in time, I’m currently in discussions with a number of potential new players that I believe will add strength and experience to key areas of our squad. Signing players that improve the team is of great importance and a key area that I have taken my time on. I didn’t want to fall into the trap, similar to that of last year’s pre-season programme, where player turnover was a bit on the excessive side. The players coming in will all want to play for this club and also work towards the objectives we have set. Signing announcements will be made very soon, so keep a lookout for the postings on our social media platforms.

Finally, I have verbal agreements in place with a number of clubs for pre-season friendlies and we will publish a full fixture list after the league start date has been confirmed. Training hasn’t officially started, but the squad has met up socially In controlled groups to participate in some small forms of football. I’m now hoping for some positive news soon (as we all are) and from this I’ll be in a position to announce the official start of pre-season.

Thanks for taking the time to read and I’ll see you all soon.