Boreham Wood Football Club can announce their retained list for next season, they are as follows; James Russell, James Courtnage, Ben Nunn, Josh Hill, Callum Reynolds, Mario Noto, Graeme Montgomery, Luke Garrard, Greg Morgan, Matty Whichelow, Ricky Shakes, Raheem Sterling Parker and Karl Brown..
Manager Ian Allinson expressed his delight that the players on his retained list all committed themselves early to the club for next season. He said “Our improved form at the back end of last season, gives me cause for cautious optimism. I’ve met the Chairman again this week, we’ve agreed next season’s budget and he has told me he believes in me, this squad and my management team. We are a very stable club and I believe we will improve further over the next season or two but as a group these players have already brought success to the club and our supporters on the pitch”.
He continued “We can now compete in this division and we are not overawed by the so called big boys. We have worked hard as a club to gain peoples respect within the Conference South league and we would love to hit the ground running and push into that top eight next season. The Chairman and myself understood when we got promoted to this level, that as the lowest supported team, we would always start any new season as an underdog. We have used that underdog mentality to progress ourselves albeit slowly but we still retain real ambition. We now have a good side, an improving squad and solid income streams in place off the park. The Chairman tells me that he has again cemented various partnerships and signed off on some significant commercial deals. Our new West Stand has now been completed and paid for and it feels like we can as a football club perhaps progress even further”.
Allinson went on “Our players ability on the pitch is often overlooked but these players have taken us to two exciting FA Cup first round proper’s in the last two seasons. They’ve finished 8th, 9th and 13th in the league and also won the Herts Senior Cup. I am confident they will again compete well next season in what is a very tough league”.
“The budget is tight but workable and it was important for me to keep our core players together and try and add quality in a couple of key areas. Our team spirit and closeness has been an important part of our progress in recent years and with the Chairman taking 25 of us to Puerto Banus for four days as a reward for last season’s hard work and cup run, it has just cemented that closeness even further”.
He concluded “I am now in serious talks with three or four prospective targets and we also have great relationships with certain pro clubs, that will I’m sure help my planning throughout next season. What the Chairman is proposing to do with certain players and those pro clubs will if successful improve us, develop players and help me and my management team hugely. As always at a club like ours patience is key but if we can get two or three of our targets signed and over the line, they will strengthen our squad, add goals to the side, excite our supporters and give us the platform to compete in the top half of the table and beyond next season”.
