As the pain of Tuesday night finally starts to fade thoughts are already starting to switch towards next season and our next assault on promotion from this league. The days of 6 week summer breaks in the football industry have long gone and I am guessing that Darren and the directors have already put the defeat behind them and are already planning next years targets and their assault on the title, as will just about every other manager around. Over the last few seasons it does appear that clubs now like to sort out their business nice and early rather than a few years ago when all the dealings appeared to be done a couple of weeks before the season started.
I think we all know that Darren's biggest job is to secure the services of the existing squad as soon as possible. If he can do that, along with the return of long term injury absentees, I think we are only 2-3 players away from a title winning squad and probably the best squad we have had at the Pilot Field for many years.
This is my take and my personal views only on what I think is required and be interesting to hear fellow supporters views.
Goalkeeper - I am pretty sure Tuesday was the last we will see of Pidge in the Hastings colours. I hope the lasting memory for fans wont be that penalty as he was excellent second half of the season and faultless on Tuesday night. So do we bring on Nicholls, Rose and perhaps another back up next season or do we bring in a new number one. Personally, I think Nicholls is still work in progress so I would plump for a new number one. Always have a soft spot for Josh Pelling still and don't take the argument he is not big enough. The excellent Dorking keeper was no larger in stature and was MOM on tuesday and see Josh has also picked up player of the season at Horsham.
Defence - IF...we can hold on to everyone, I don't think this needs a lot of tinkering. The Ollie/Jerome partnership is fantastic and had we started the season with that would we have won the league I wonder? We definitely need one back up central defender though and Crutts gives us a 4th option. At left back we have Crutts, the best left back in the league. The argument of where he should play has been had many times but that is a fact. We then have Ollie Black as back up and a returning Sam Cole. Down the right, Emptage had by far his best ever game for Hastings in that position on Tuesday but we may want him as a holding midfielder. I have never been won over by Butcher sadly and of course we have the raw but excellent Akoto waiting in the wings. So possibly a new right back is required.
Midfield - for me number one priority for next season must be a play maker to sit in along side Johnno in the centre of the park. Jerome Beckles was excellent for Dorking on Tuesday and Johnno needs that next season. I am just so impressed with Danny Leonard but I think his future lies out wide or further forward. Bodkin was excellent for 80% of the season and must stay and Stannard equally so but unlike Bodkin, he has age on his side and may be sought after elsewhere. Then of course we have Sam Cole who will be like having a brand new super signing. I rate him very highly and he has been missed massively this season. So I think a playmaker is priority and just perhaps some electrifying pace out wide in the mould of Matt Briggs on Tuesday. And do we need a another Jack Evans or Barry Cogan? that depends on the players that stay and the system Darren plays next season.
Striker - 30 goal a season strikers are as rare as rocking horse s**t so we must keep Collin!! I am sure many clubs, including one particular South East Kent club, may come sniffing but Frannie always looked very happy to me and he is also not getting any younger so fingers crossed on that one. As with Cole we then have Harris who will be like a new signing next season. He looked a different player beginning of the season before injury cruelly struck again. So we definitely need one more top striker next season and don't really see any options coming through the youth set up quite yet. Perhaps Sam Adams is that option again as he can play so many different roles?
So if, and its a big if, Darren can keep hold of most of last years squad I think we are just 3 or 4 fresh faces away from a top squad and a squad that can win the league. Topped up with some of the youth players coming through the ranks (Prichard, Climpson, Black, Akoto) it all looks very rosy but....on the horizon..... is a certain Steve Watt and a Margate football team looking to strengthen and that worries me.
The club is clearly in a very strong position, ably led by an excellent group of directors and excellent manager and backroom staff, and me for one will be crossing everything I have over the next 8 weeks that everyone stays and at least gives us one more season to pursue our dream.
Both excellent players!! Also forgot about a third long term absentee, Richard Davies, is he still with us and likely to be next season? That gives us yet more cover at right back but as with Butcher, yet to be totally convinced of his ability.
And then there is the million dollar question, what do we do with Kiernan? In a strange kind of Lee Carey, John Bradley way, he has become a bit of a cult hero for the Hastings fans. Some of this is a joke factor but there is no doubt he can produce that moment of magic and certainly a useful squad member. Does he stay or does he go?
John I think that you should apply for the assistant managers job as to me everything you say seems to make sense!
Looking forward to next season being optimistic, the 4 teams relegated from the Ryman Premier are all North sides, Grays, Sudbury, Canvey and Harrow so does that mean they will have to move 2 lesser sides over from Ryman North to make up the numbers? ie teams like Phoenix Sports or VCD Athletic?
With no Ryman Premier teams being relegated into our division will it make our job easier next season? I don't know but I suppose it all depends on who will be promoted into our league as well and whether the teams already in our league spend money and strengthen their squads, teams like Carshalton, Lewes, Hythe and Greenwich.
All will become clearer in the coming weeks no doubt.
Jack McLean tweeted a good luck message on Tuesday which finished "Gutted i am not involved" so he must still be about and presumably not yet recovered from Surgery.
I agree with most of John's comments but believe that in Sam Crutwell we have the playmaker he talks of and I would give one of the youngsters a chance at left back.
I agree with FatherXmas - Sam Crutwell looks better in the centre midfield - just look at those runs he goes on - If he was halfway up the pitch already, we would get twice as many!
Sam is an excellent player. And I have said it about other players in the past, I hope for his own development he isn't with us next season he is too good he should play with better players by doing this I think you would get a real quality player no far short of conference level.
Jack McLean .... messaged him the other night . He only recently had surgery on his knee. He hopes to be back fit to return in January next year . He's still hoping to be part of the set up though . Good luck to him with that ! That was an awful injury he had last year . Can you imagine what might have been with him and Bodses swapping wings ?
What about billy medlock taking break for second half of this season surly medlock n Collin up tops would be best force in league, coley Harris McClean Davies coming back from injury then the return of Dixon n Adams would be brilliant would always love see whitehead back for left back so we can move crutts back to his best position n if pidge goes surly got to go for pells again
Another player I would welcome back is Josh Jirbandey who I believe is playing in the sunshine of California.Can't see him swaping that for the Pilot Field on a cold damp Tuesday evening in January, but can hope.
Well that has to be strangest post of the season on here, Doeboy will be most upset. Perhaps you should stick to your own clubs forum although guessing there is not much action on there at the moment. Happy to hear Sam is well liked by Hythe fans and cheers for sharing that with all us Hastings fans, we are very grateful and always enjoy sharing info with other clubs. in return I can tell you he is an expert at digging holes in roads.
Yes, Frannie Collin is essential to Hastings going forward a little bit like Alfie May was to you. So sad to see him leave along with super Frankie Sawyer. I am also sure Jack Harris will be a new player next season after his terrible injury this year, ill pass on your concerns to him, still bitter??. Not sure what tips you are on about but I can give you a few tips on posting on other clubs forums.
Too much football talk lately and missed the banter!!
Yes - a weird post from the other side of the county border. You clearly gave a state secret away John if you let slip out how useful Frannie is ........
Well that has to be strangest post of the season on here, Doeboy will be most upset. Perhaps you should stick to your own clubs forum although guessing there is not much action on there at the moment. Happy to hear Sam is well liked by Hythe fans and cheers for sharing that with all us Hastings fans, we are very grateful and always enjoy sharing info with other clubs. in return I can tell you he is an expert at digging holes in roads.
Yes, Frannie Collin is essential to Hastings going forward a little bit like Alfie May was to you. So sad to see him leave along with super Frankie Sawyer. I am also sure Jack Harris will be a new player next season after his terrible injury this year, ill pass on your concerns to him, still bitter??. Not sure what tips you are on about but I can give you a few tips on posting on other clubs forums.
Too much football talk lately and missed the banter!!
Don't know about "strange" but certainly a bit of banter and as we haven't got a forum we don't get too much fun this way of the world. Sam was being mentioned as a possible target for you and as it's a time of rumours and speculation Frannie has often been mentioned down here before and Jack was a very popular guy.
Bad luck in the play-offs but how can it be right that a marathon season of football can come down to one guy taking a penalty ?
good luck to dorking in the final like simon think it totally wrong the play offs they finish on same points as tooting and deserve to go up its not like you earn loads of extra income which I mo is what its all about for the league clubs.
While I remain gutted that we got nothing from 3 games against Wanderers despite more than equalling them, it's only right they went up today. And yes, the play offs kept our season going but being 23 points adrift of the top two it's not as if we deserved to still be in with a shout. Frustrating in the extreme to miss out on Tuesday in a gripping game - but we were only there because of the contrived lottery that is the play off system. Would I be celebrating if it was United going up? Yes. Would the whole thing still be wrong? Er, yes!
National South play offs further illustrate how bizzare it's all got. Poole and Hungerford finish 5th and 6th. - due to ground grading issues they can't take part so Ebbsfleet who finished 2nd with 90 odd points will now play off against 7th - seventh - place Hampton & Richmond who finished 27 points behind them. Play offs gone mad.
Glimmer of common sense in Rugby Union's 2nd tier also known as the Championship - no more play offs as of next season - whoever finishes top will be promoted to the Aviva Premiership.
To think, Chris - me going off topic again - that all 12 Championship sides were involved in end of season play offs of one kind or another for a couple of years......
Sam was being mentioned as a possible target for you and as it's a time of rumours and speculation Frannie has often been mentioned down here before and Jack was a very popular guy. 