Toolstation NCEL Division One
Worsbrough Bridge manager Luke Forgione has set his sights on improving on their ninth-place finish during the forthcoming campaign.
The balls, bibs and cones are all ready at Worsbrough as Forgione’s eight-week pre-season begins on Thursday and the vision for the next ten months is clear.
“We had a good season last year and the aim has got to be to try and better that,” Forgione told Non League Yorkshire.
“That was a good season for Worsbrough and a good first season for ourselves.
“With what is happening behind the scenes and the environment we have created, we want to be striding to finish higher.
“I know football can come and bite you on the backside, but we’ll be trying our best to improve on last season.
“But all the clubs in our league will say the same.
“Without Hallam and North Ferriby, a club will fancy their chances of getting in the play-offs.
“If you look at us, we finished ninth and beat everyone above us apart from Hallam, North Ferriby and Selby.
“On our day we’re a match for anyone, but we need consistency and discipline and to minimise our errors.
“We showed signs of promise, but we know football can come back to bite you.”
Forgione’s young charges surprised many last season and improving upon a ninth-placed finish would obviously see them competing for the top five.
One of the reasons for the decent campaign was the fast start – and Forgione says it must be replicated if the dream of a bid for the play-offs is to come true.
“If we got into the play-offs it would be an unbelievable achievement,” he said.
“You look at the club historically, it has only finished in the top 12 about four times in a lot of years and we managed to do that.
“It is a project.
“If someone had offered me ninth place last year I’d have snapped their hand off.
“I didn’t expect to finish ninth as it is probably a three-to-five year plan to get the club pushing for promotion.
“We have to try and flirt with the play-offs, but we know the first ten games could be massive for us.
“If we don’t start well, can the players deal with the responsibility of not starting well?
“We started well last year and you get momentum,
“I read Rousey’s (Pontefract Collieries manager Craig Rouse) interview with you about getting momentum and it is important as we found out.
“It sets you up for the season, but if you want to flirt with the play-offs you have to start well.
“What happens if we don’t start well?
“We will still have a young side and can they deal with it?”
Apart from the appointment of Shaw Lane legend and intelligent defender Luke Danville as player/coach, there has been no further player recruitment news.
Talks are ongoing with potential new signings.
“We’ve identified a small number of targets that we would like to come in and strengthen us,” he said.
“It is about whether we can get them over-the-line and unfortunately a lot of it comes down to money.
“As we’ll say to them, money isn’t everything and there is a lot going off at the club with the centenary celebrations and we’re trying to sell the whole package.
“As well, we had a good season last year and the boys proved they can play at this level.
“Because of that, they deserve the trust to go again as long as no-one leaves.
“We don’t want anybody to leave.”
Worsbrough have a lot to look forward to during their eight-week pre-season.
A trip to Darren Hepworth’s Hepworth United on the 4th July is the opening game.
The following match is the pinnacle of the friendlies as Worsbrough will play in Europe as they will fly to Germany to FC Normannia.
Looking ahead to pre-season, Forgione added: “The trip to Germany is one reason why we are starting this week, but I wouldn’t say it is early.
“We are eight weeks from the start of the season and we did an eight-week pre-season last year.
“We started reasonably well so we want to replicate last year and not change anything.
“I get asked a lot by players ‘will we be doing lots of running’?
“I try and focus on how we want to play and base our pre-season around that.
“I’m not a massive believer in running people in parks – other people like to do that.
“I don’t like taking them in the gym – I think a player has the responsibility to look after themselves.
“The eight weeks in pre-season is the only real opportunity where I get to coach the players for four hours a week.
“I try and maximise that time to implement how we want to play and try and get the physical conditioning right through our training sessions.”