Stafford Town’s manager says he wants his side to “improve again” next campaign after his first full season at the club.
Adam Wall joined the Staffordshire club midway through the 2022-23 season, where they finished 18th, barely surviving by two points.
In his first full year this campaign he guided Town to a comfortable mid-table finish in 11th.
But Wall already has his sights set on an even higher finish next time around – and has an eye on the play-offs.
He said: “This season I aimed to be as far away from the relegation problems the club have faced previously.
“The fact we teased the play-offs and finished comfortably mid-table is a massive improvement and is now a good base for next year.
“To be involved in the conversation next year would be huge for this club.
“As is the case in non-league, players will move on and we will look to bring in some quality in the summer, something we are currently working very hard on.
“That added to an improvement on the training pitch and a better togetherness, then who knows?”
A crucial reason for the major elevation in Stafford’s season was key men performing consistently throughout the campaign.
Top scorers Jayden Hunter and Matthew Hearsey tucked away 19 and 15 goals in all competitions respectively to fire their side up the table.
Wall said: “Both are top lads.
“They both feed from being the main man. While Jayden is laid back – almost too laid back at times – Hearsey does everything a manager wants.
“Yet the outcome of both styles is that they score goals and seriously contribute on a game day.
“This is all that maters at the end of the day.”
Non-league teams will now be approaching their pre-season breaks, before coming back in to prepare for the coming year.
Due to the lack of resources and finances compared to professional clubs and with players having full time jobs, it can be tough for clubs to fully prepare for the season ahead.
“We have so little time to work with our group in comparison to the pros,” said Wall. “We have around eight or nine weeks off then two training sessions per week at one and a half hours at a time.
“Three hours is not a lot of time per week to get tactical information as well as lads getting fit.
“Add that to the fact our players are full time employed during the day and it’s a real challenge.”