NPL Division One East
Jas Colliver says Ossett United are taking a patient approach in their recruitment as they will not offer over the odds wages to prospective new players.
Colliver and Mark Ward have only signed one new player – former Liversedge striker Ollie Fearon – as they prepare for their first full season in charge at Ingfield.
“The money this year and the bartering has been frightening,” Collier told Non League Yorkshire.
“In previous years you had reasonable money and you were getting good value for money for players.
“Now you struggle to get good value for money.
“Everyone wants that extra £20.
“I think it is because it is a competitive market.
“There’s clubs in the leagues below paying more money than our league and our club.
“There’s players I have spoken to who don’t want to take the step out of the NCEL to our league because of a number of things – location, travel and because there is good money in the league below.
“When players take all that into consideration alongside rising living and fuel prices, they want to be more local.
“When I was playing it was about playing as high as you can and taking risks.
“There’s more things being weighed up and players have to decide what feels right.
“Right now there is silly money being thrown around and silly conversations being had, but for me I would question how sustainable it is for clubs who are currently offering (silly money)?
“We focus on ourselves and we know what we have to offer and we’re not going to move away from that.
“We have to work to our limits and make sure it is sustainable.
“I want to be paying what we are paying now at the end of the season.”
The capture of Fearon bucked the trend of players following the big wages as the striker turned down several clubs to sign for Ossett.
“I speak to the Liversedge manager (Jonathan Rimmington) so I knew he was going to be available,” Colliver said.
“Once as Ollie sorted himself out to be available, we contacted him to have a serious conversation about coming instead of general chit-chat.
“He went on holiday and he had two clubs he was thinking about – us and one other.
“When he announced his departure on Twitter, that’s when it went silly and everyone was wanting him.
“I feared the worst then because there would be clubs making better offers than we can and ones he couldn’t refuse.
“Ollie is a man of his word and get what you see with him.
“We met with him and he talked about many clubs such as North East teams coming in for him and Nottinghamshire teams.
“Coming to us suited him because of where he lives and he works.
“We were in a competitive market for him, but when he met with our club, our board and myself and Wardy, his mind was made up that he wanted to sign for us.
“We’re delighted.”
Captain Jack Cowgill and Fearon are the only confirmed squad members for next season as Ossett are waiting until registrations have been completed before any further announcements.
Colliver also says that several trialists will feature for Ossett in pre-season.
“We have lads coming in for pre-season and they don’t want to commit to us (just yet),” he said.
“They want to dip their toe in and see what’s what and see what we’re about.
“We have got lads coming in pre-season to have an opportunity to sign for us so I reckon we’re not a million miles off.
“Maybe three-or-four will come in as along we get everyone who has agreed to sign to put ink on a piece of paper.
“We did a lot of our recruiting last season.
“We signed players in key areas which we wanted to strengthen with a view to building for this season.
“They have all committed to stay.
“We only have one lad who is weighing up his options, but we’ll hopefully get him over-the-line in the next couple of days.
“Until pen is put to paper you can’t say anything.”
The main area where Ossett need to strengthen is upfront and that was the case even before the exits of James Walshaw and Aaron Haswell.
“I think even if they (Walshaw and Haswell) had stayed we would have been looking in that department,” he said.
“It was evident to see that we didn’t score enough goals last season.
“We didn’t create enough chances so we needed to recruit at the top-end of the pitch.
“We needed more options and be able to rotate the lads at the top end of the pitch.”
Former Barnsley defender Cowgill was injured for most of last season so Colliver is yet to see in action as a fully-fit player.
The Ossett boss is looking forward to seeing him playing 100& fit.
“That was a massive plus-point for us,” he said.
“We believe he can play much higher and the clubs coming in for him were much higher.
“He committed to us and he’s our captain and he believes he has a lot more to give.
“He said he was playing last season at the beginning 70% or 80% fit.
“Then he had an injury and at the end he reckoned he was 60% fit.
“There’s more to come from him and I’m excited to watch him develop.”