HARDY SETS SIGHTS HIGH
Seasiders chief’s revamp brings in ten new players
WHITBY TOWN boss Chris Hardy is targeting promotion to the National League North.
The Seasiders finished seventh in the Northern Premier last term, just three points off the play-off places when the season was ended in March.
Hardy has been at the helm of the coastal club for almost five years and this summer embarked on a radical renovation of his squad.
Now, he believes they have a real opportunity to reach Step 2 for the first time in Whitby’s 140-year history.
“We’ve had a total overhaul of the squad,” he told The NLP.
“We needed to change it up and desperately had to. Ten lads have gone, and ten boys have come in. We’ve improved in every area and the new boys are finding their feet ahead of next season. The way we approached last year was to focus on each game. Being competitive, that was our aim and we grew in confidence.
Competitive
“It’s a really competitive league but we had a good run in the FA Cup as well, so it was actually a terrific season for us.
“It’s certainly my ambition to get to the National League North and being able to make such drastic changes to the squad I think shows it’s the club’s aim as well.
“To say we are going to win the division is impossible, but I certainly think we will be competitive.”
Among the ten new signings is former Sunderland and Middlesbrough centre-back Jonathan Burn, who can also play as a holding midfielder.
Feel-good factor
Midfielder Lewis Hawkins has also joined from Blyth Spartans. And while Hardy doesn’t believe there will be any further signings this summer, he isn’t ruling out any later additions.
He’s also targeting another run in the FA Cup. Last year, his side fell at the Fourth Qualifying Round, losing to Stourbridge 3-2 in a replay following a 1-1 draw at the Turnbull Ground.
“We’ve looked at a few more targets but right now we’re happy with the squad we have,” he added.
“We have to focus on our game and not worry about other clubs who may be making some noise. If we do that, we’ll be taking huge steps to work our way through the season.
“Everything we do is for the fans so I am just hoping we can get as many people down to watch us as possible. It’s not the same without them. The cup run did wonders for us last year; it brought in revenue and increased the feelgood factor around the club.
“It cannot be overestimated how powerful an FA Cup run can be for a Non-League club.
If we do just slightly better than we did last year, it’ll be a fantastic campaign!”