CANARIES CAN SOAR – BURKE
THEY were also-rans this season, but Hitchin Town boss Mark Burke believes his side can shoot for glory next term.
When the curtain came down prematurely on the BetVictor Southern Premier Central last month, the Canaries were a lowly 17th in the table.
They were well clear of relegation danger, but also a long way off the play-off places.
It wouldn’t suggest to outsiders that Hitchin would be in the mix next season – whenever that gets underway – but Burke believes there are a few factors that could shift momentum.
The first is the way his troops were playing before the shutdown and the second is that they’ve given early indications that they are keen to continue at Top Field.
“Since January we’d been in good form – we were averaging two points a game,” said Hitchin legend Burke, who took the reins in 2013.
“We put together a little I’m happy with and I’m trying to keep it under wraps. I’m hoping we can keep at least the nucleus of the squad together – they enjoyed themselves in that run we had and they are saying they are happy to stick around.”
Another factor that could work in Hitchin’s favour is if the current national crisis levels up the playing field.
“We are a club that has cut its cloth accordingly and that could mean we suffer less than some others,” said the 53-yearold.
Leaderboard
“I think there will be a correction on the wages front, which was probably needed. For a number of years we haven’t been able to compete with a lot of clubs in terms of money offered.
“It might not go back to where it was before the coronavirus and it’s possibly going to help us get a little bit closer than before.”
So what does Burke, the club’s second highest appearance-maker with 732 in two decades, reckon Hitchin could achieve in the next campaign.
“We would like to give it a go,” he said. “If we can carry forward that form we showed since January, then two points a game is play-off form.
“The last two seasons we have had terrible starts, so it’s vital we get off to a good one. If we can keep the nucleus of the squad that will give us continuity and hopefully help us to get off to a good start.
“Then it’s a case of digging in and staying among it.”
With the current lockdown in place, Burke hasn’t been able to get his players together, but he’s still trying to maintain the bond. A WhatsApp group for management and players is one way of doing that, as is a 5km timed run for the latter.
“Part of the fun in NonLeague is the lads being togeth squad er and enjoying each other’s company,” explained Burke.
“We can’t meet face to face, but we’ve got a virtual changing room and there’s plenty of banter on there. The mickey-taking comes with the 5k challenge as well, we’ve got a little leaderboard.
“It’s helping keep everyone focused and we’ve also got individual fitness programmes the players can do at home.”
One plus for Hitchin is that they haven’t had to stress about how this season would pan out.
“We had nothing to play for for the rest of the season,” admitted Burke. “I really feel for the teams that were going for promotion. I think if there were two or three games left, then points per game would be fair enough.
“However, with nearly a quarter of the season to go, I can’t see how it would be fair.
“I think null and void was the right decision, though I probably wouldn’t have said that if we were going for promotion!”