I’ll have a bigger budget says boss

NICK MATTHEWS believes his budget will be increased by Burscough ahead of next season.

Matthews has held talks with club officials, including owner Martin Gilchrist, and the former Widnes coach has been told, “the budget can be raised to what we had last year”.

Burscough were five points above the relegation zone when the North West Counties Football League Premier Division was declared null and void due to coronavirus and the manager revealed he is already targeting new recruits.

“I didn’t hit my budget anywhere near until January or February. I never got anywhere near it,” he said.

“We couldn’t attract lads because they were at bigger and better clubs but we always said come Christmas time we’d be able to get them.

“I got [Luke Gibson] back, signed Kev Pollard, signed George Lomax and James Salkeld and got them type of lads in because I knew I could get them in. All of them lads have roughly committed for next season.

“That’s why I’m recruiting now because I want lads to come in that are going to walk into my starting XI. Any player I bring in now is going to go into my starting XI.”

Matthews is confident that all of his current stars – barring one unnamed player – will renew for next season including captain Jack Fleming.

“Yeah, on the majority. There’s one that is a question mark,” Matthews replied when asked whether he was confident verbal agreements would translate into confirmed deals.

“He’s the only one I can say I’m not 100% he’ll sign but the rest of the lads, I wouldn’t say 100% because you never know and you can never say 100% but I’d like to think the rest are likely to stay.

“Some lads were offered more money to go elsewhere at the end of last season and refused.”