By Andrew Warshaw
At a packed pre-season members’ meeting on Thursday, chairman Paul Reed and manager Gavin Macpherson laid out plans for the coming season on and off the pitch as we build towards our second campaign in National League South.
During a wide-ranging discussion, which included a question and answer session, Paul gave an update on the club’s finances and board restructuring while Gavin discussed recent player ins and outs.
At the start the meeting, Gavin and the management team received a well-deserved round of applause for the achievements last season before Paul began by revealing the club was slightly ahead of budget at the end of the season due in large part to increased attendances.
Paul disclosed that matchday income was up last season by 40 percent on the preceding one and that there would be a modest budget increase for the coming campaign without endangering club finances.
Total cost of the ground improvements was £146,131 – paid for by grants, crowdfunding and club funds.
Because of greater crowds, next season is going to require more stewarding while the three-year vision for the future is to create a football and social centre for the entire community.
The plan is for revenue to increase by 25 percent by the end of 27/28 by which time it hoped average attendances can top 1,000. A new bar facility is also being planned while external investment will also be sought to grow the club.
After Paul had outlined the club’s mission, it was over to Gavin to give an appraisal of last season and a reading of the coming one. But not before members were informed that there will be a new food franchise next season following the expiry of the Cooking Champions contract.
Gavin made a point of thanking the fans for their support and helping to get the club through “some dark moments” before our mid-season resurgence.
The away trouncing at Hampton and Richmond in late September was “about as low as it got” in the dressing room, said Gavin. “It caused me and my team to have a massive rethink. If I needed a punch on the nose, that was it. We had to make some drastic changes.”
“Seven months later, while I was highly displeased with the Worthing result, we achieved what we needed to in the end.”
Admitting with trademark honesty that he had “gambled and probably lost” vis-à-vis Joe Wright, Gavin explained that both Joe and Rhys Forster deserved a chance to impress but that he couldn’t give either one a cast-iron guarantee.
Gavin, who will be assisted next season by a new No. 2 in John Underwood, believes National League South will be harder than ever.
“It’s gone up several notches with the likes of Dagenham and Redbridge now in the division but I’m looking to embrace the magnitude of the task ahead. I believe we’ve made some really good signings and we’re aiming to make a few more including hopefully another forward but I’ve said it before, we’re battling against full-time teams.”
“Having said that I’m very pleased with who we’ve got so far. If you google Lemar Reynolds, you will doubtless get his goal for Maidstone against Ipswich in the FA Cup. That’s generally what he is — quick, direct and strong.”
Gavin revealed he was planning to play Lemar down the middle rather than on the wing where he had been playing with Greenock Morton. That, remember, is precisely what Gav did positionally with Marcus Wyllie – and we all know the outcome. So let’s hope for another masterstroke.
“We made the biggest step this club ever has last season by staying up and success for us now is improve on that,” said Gavin. “I liken it a bit to Premier League and Championship. More often than not the team that gets promoted goes down but we didn’t. We’re in a good place and have a nucleus of players now who understand how hard they have to work and the quality they have to bring.”