THERE MUST BE NO HANGOVER
DARREN Sarll knows expectations will be sky high for Yeovil Town next season – and stresses they cannot afford to suffer a hangover from their play-off defeat.
The luckless Glovers were beaten 2-0 at home by Barnet in their eliminator tie despite dominating the game but failing to take their chances.
It was a painful way for their sea- son to eventually end having come close to making an immediate return to the Football League – but they quickly need to refocus for the season ahead.
“There’s going to be a short turnaround, people can’t have a hangover on this, we’ve got to get going again,” said Sarll. “We’re going to Stockport, we’re going back to Bromley, we’re going to Halifax, we’ve got to get our head round that and go and attack it.
Connection
“I know expectation is going to be high next year so we’re going to have to get our head round it pretty damn quick because the season will be on us in six or seven weeks maybe.
“I think we’ve probably done better than maybe we thought we would have and we’ve got to carry on trying to win games and chip away over the next ten months and try and push us back.”
This time last year the club was at the beginning of a new era following the appointment of former Stevenage boss Sarll and the takeover of new owners Errol Pope and Scott Priestnall.
Yeovil had returned to Non-League for the first time since 2003 with the challenge in front of Sarll a tough one.
“We have made huge progress, there is no doubt,” he said. “A year ago we had four senior players and four first-year pros in the dressing room.
“We’ve had a few years of losing and we’ve given, hopefully, the club back to the supporters and they want to come and watch us. My greatest achievement so far at the club is that connection between the players and supporters.”
Planning for the new season, expected to begin in September, starts now for Sarll and he already has a good base to work from this summer.
“I’d like to think when the next season starts, whenever that is, we’ll be a little bit better prepared with the players that are still here on contract and hopefully will stay,” he added.
Budget
“There’ll be 12 or 13 players who are already on contract. What we have to discuss now, between Scott and I and the other directors and owners, is our budget for next season and what we’re going to be able to do and not able to do.
“We’ve done very well this year with a mid-table budget, we’ve fallen short and that hurts, especially with the performance we put in (against Barnet) which I thought was a decent performance and the lads tried to give everything they’ve got.
“We’ll have to add to that if that’s not going to be good enough now. A good pre-season will help that.”