Just over a month into the close season, there’s been plenty going on behind the scenes at Hillheads and manager Nathan Haslam was keen to give fans an update on developments. “I’ve been very busy, I don’t think I’ve had a day off yet, I‘ve been talking to lots of players. It’s hard work because players at this stage don’t really want to commit because they’ve got options, so we’ve got to be respectful of that but there’s been lots of conversations and lots of coffee drunk! We’ve got quite a few verbal agreements from players; we’ll be getting a good crop of young players coming in with professional backgrounds. They’ve got a hunger to be better and work hard technically. It’s looked very good going off the conversations and phone calls I’ve had since I first met them and they’re excited to be coming to Whitley Bay. We do have two players on contract for next season, Callum Anderson – he did really, really well for us last season and I think there’s more in the locker from Callum once we get a really good pre-season from him – and Luke Salmon. Obviously his work rate was there for all to see last season and he chipped in with a fair few goals. He’s a bit of a fans favourite. We elected to take the option of a second year on Luke’s contract so he’s going to be a part of next season as well. In relation to the remainder of the players from last season, they’re all invited back to pre-season. They gave me a good four games in charge then we had a sub standard four games so there’s a little bit to prove from some of them but I’m more than confident that once they’ve got a pre-season under their belt and a little bit fitter, they can buy into what we want and we’re going to see them in a better light as well.
One player who won’t be returning is Andrei Ardelean, who was on-loan from Blyth Spartans for most of last season but has joined Consett. Haslam commented “It’s football, Andrei did well for us last year but the position we’re in I’ve got to get every decision right this season with recruiting players and in the striking department we’ve got some good players already in the club. But we’ve also got players coming in as well, so all the best to Andrei moving on, he’s a great kid and he did well when he was here for us but he’s going on to pastures new now.”
“Pre-season we start on Monday 24th June. There’ll be a few of us starting up a week before, just to blow away a few cobwebs, some of the boys want to do a little bit more. We’ll run through pre-season with at least seven games, ready for the season opener on 3rd August so we’ll be very fit. I think that goes without saying. Everything’s very structured and we’ll be prepared and organised which is what we need to be in the hope we can get a fast start when the season gets going.”
The manager pointed out that one eye will certainly be on the opening stages of the FA Cup. “Most definitely, now the first games in the FA Cup come in the first two weeks of the season so you’ve just got to go in prepared the best you can be and the fittest you can be. They’re great games, the start of a potential fairytale and a cup run.”
“We’ve got a mix of pre-season games lined up. Some managers like to go into pre-season and win every game, well that’s great but a lot of the things we’ll be doing pre-season will be specifically to be ready for 3rd August. While winning’s important to get the winning mentality, there are things that are far more important for us. We’ve got some lower league opposition, we’ve got some higher league opposition and we’ve got some opposition from the north west which gives us a bit of an eye opener into the FA Vase competition as well. Yes there’s a good mixture there. It’s not just a case of plucking any teams out, they’ve been picked for a reason, so it’s going to be interesting.
Another part of the close season activity has been the work that has been carried out on the pitch. “The pitch is looking absolutely fantastic, I’ve been down here quite a lot and it’s great. It’s cost money to invest in the pitch and credit to the people who’ve made it happen. It’s great and thanks to the people who’ve helped with that. And Davey Styles, I’ve got to give Dave credit because he’s down here every day looking after it. He’s treating it like his little baby which is great because a really good pitch is of vital importance to us next season the way we’re going to be playing so I’m really happy with that.”
Something else that Nathan is looking forward to – along with the fans – is the publication of the fixture list which is due to come out after the League AGM on 15th June. The 2019/20 composition of the national non league pyramid was announced by the FA recently and there will be 20 teams in the Northern League First Division, two more than last season. The three promoted teams, Billingham Town, Thornaby and Northallerton are all from the south of the region, an area Nathan knows well, and he’s relishing the challenge. “We’re all looking forward to seeing the fixtures list; it‘ll provide plenty of good talking points. There are some strong teams and there’ll be plenty of teams that are really going for it, with three clubs getting promotion next season. I think it’s going to be a really challenging league next year. With 20 teams and 38 games it’s probably the right number and we’ve got the new league cup format as well, so that will make it interesting for the fans.”
