Gary's season review

Looking back on the season, I think we have performed well with the squad I had at my disposal.

We haven’t got the funds to match the likes of Farnborough and others, but when my best 11 took to the field, the reality is that on our day we were a match for anyone.

The first half of the season went well for us and there was no doubt in my mind that come the New Year that we were going to finish in the top eight. It was also a question as to whether or not we could push on and go toe to toe with the challengers around us.

It was the same for everyone, but clearly the amount of catching up we had to do following the harsh winter, especially with away games was always going to be difficult. But the squad kept going and put everything into it right up until the final whistle on Saturday.

Looking at the squad, one of the highlights for me was the addition of Tony Burke. He has done really well for us and when he has been quiet it is because teams like Hednesford have done their homework on him.

Zac Barrett has been fantastic for us once again, and supporters will be delighted to hear that Zac has agreed terms with us again for next season.

At the back, the likes of Krause, Chaffey and Theobald have been outstanding. Pat Bexfield waited for his chance and did well for us when he came in.

The midfield has also done well. That said, Ash Fuller has been good some weeks and lack-lustre the next, but overall he has had a good season for us.

Up front, we did well to get the best out of Gentle, Midgley and Barker. So overall, we have performed well, and I couldn’t have asked for any more from the squad throughout the season.

What I will try and do in the summer is identify a striker who can score lots of goals for us, but it’s a question of funding. A lot of clubs at our level can just go out there and get a player for money we simply cannot afford, so we have to work with what is available. That said, a lack of a prolific striker this season did not prevent us from scoring over 70 goals in the league, which is no mean feat.

During the closed season I will be looking at making a few additions to the squad. Some are clearly going to move on so there will be scope to bring more in as replacements, so we’ll see what happens.

It’s always nice to win some silverware and although we failed with the Cambs Invitation Cup, we can look back with pride with our achievements with the Red Insure League Cup. That was a great night for the club, and a reward for the efforts that the lads have put in this season.

In terms of where we are next season, well there are rumours that the league structure will see us move across to the Ryman. Nothing is definite yet, and it is just pure speculation, but, if we stayed where we are it will be even tougher as we have the likes of Weymouth and Worcester coming in who are both decent sides. If we did switch to the Ryman, it would slash travelling costs but it is an equally tough league and I feel we would need to inject some pace into the squad if we did switch, but we’ll just have to see what happens.

Elsewhere, we have a great behind the scenes team at City who have done a superb job once again this season. Clearly the major development off the field was that we will be at Milton Road for another season. This will give us time to re-group and give us some breathing space so we can go to Newmarket in good shape.

Finally, I would like to pay tribute to the fans. Their support this year has been magnificent. At home it has been great, but away it has been phenomenal. I applaud everyone who makes the effort to go to places like Merthyr, Chippenham and Truro. To regularly see 50 odd and sometimes more if it is local gives the team a fantastic boost. With the exception of Nuneaton and possibly Leamington our following is one of the best in the league. Hopefully next season we will go one better and give all our fans something special to cheer.