Joint manager Joe Conneely says he’s happy with the progress at Hinckley AFC this summer ahead of the start of pre-season later this month.
This time last year, Conneely took over the managerial role and was faced with a complete rebuild, having lost 13 players from the play-off final squad the previous season.
But he says he’s in a much better place than 12 months ago and is confident the vast majority of the squad will remain for 2023/24.
He said: “I’ve spoken to every player. There’s a good feeling about the group and one of unfinished business.
“We’re also working hard to get players in to help us. We’re getting close with a few but we can’t officially sign anyone until later this month or early in July when forms come out.
“But we’re in a much stronger position than this time last year. It will hopefully give us a solid base that we didn’t have last year and allow us to start the season better.”
A month on from the League Cup final win and play-off semi-final defeat, Conneely reflected on the end to 2022/23 with mixed emotions and, despite admitting he’d have taken it at the start of the season, felt the squad missed out on their main aim.
“I would definitely have taken it at the start. We had plenty of problems early on. Come November time, we really got to work and the aim was to get promoted but we didn’t manage that.
“We always set the League Cup to target and do well in, we had a good run and then it really ramped up for the semi-final.
“But to win something was fantastic. It wasn’t meant to be for promotion but we’ve got another chance and an opportunity to hit the ground running from pre-season.”
The pre-season friendly schedule sees matches against a mix of step four to seven opposition – including three against other sides at step six.
Conneely says that will give the squad the ideal mix of scenarios going into the new campaign.
“Going to Coleshill and Quorn at step four, will be completely different to Coventry Alvis for instance in terms of how we’ll go about the game. Games against Kirby Muxloe and Birstall are more realistic for what we’ll face in the league.
“We’ll get out of it what we can. We have four good sessions before the first friendly but it’ll be here before we know it. We start training later this month, the Simon Blyth Memorial Trophy game against Heather is at the start of July and they’ll turn around quickly before the first week of August.”
That’s all ahead of the new Division One season starting in August – with Hinckley remaining in the Midland League for another season.
The joint-manager is happy with the continuity of staying in Division One after switching back from the United Counties League this time last year.
But he’s under no illusions about the strength of the division.
“It’ll be tough again. Two good teams have gone out of it but there are plenty more still there. I’d expect all the teams who were there or thereabouts will be again, and there will be some surprises.
“It’ll be a tricky league again. We’ll have to be at our best all season, it will be a long old season but there’s no hiding away from our aims.”
