Coventry
Crusaders head coach Scott Neely has high hopes for the forthcoming
season as the first team squad return for some serious training ahead of
their season opener in five weeks time, declaring that he’d like to “aim
for the top 5” and see his side build upon last season’s 6th
placed play off finish.
Crusaders
won six out of their remaining nine games of the season to salvage a
final play off spot after a ten game winless streak, with the three
losses all coming against the top three sides.
The upturn
in fortunes for the Crusaders in the second half of that season
coincided with a belated but effective partnership between new January
signings John Olinger and Travis Lay, which brought a combined match
average of 30 points to the team, and is something that Neely is
encouraged by and wants to take into this term to achieve improved
success.
“It was a
bit of the nature of how the season went when we added players towards
the end” he said, reflecting upon last year.
“To me if
we’d have had the squad that we finished with together at the start of
the season I felt we’d be top three” he enthused.
“We won
six out of out last nine and the only teams that we lost to, finished in
the top three positions in the league, and two of these three defeats
were by three points. So we were right there, and that was by the team
coming together late”.
Despite
the exciting end to last season, Neely is keeping his feet firmly on the
ground, and believes that the club is progressing toward the long term
picture.
“You need
to have the resources behind you. We’re not yet in a consistent place
where what we’re able to provide whether it’s signings and different
things to be able to say ‘we’re going to be a top three team every
year’. So to me it’s about getting to that process and I’m realistic in
saying that we’ll aim for top five and we’ll have the talent there and
put a good enough team together to make that happen”.
The head
coach hopes to have a training squad of 15 come the start of the season,
three more than a match night squad which would minimise the impact of
injuries and suspensions.
One or two
unnamed players are expected to leave the Crusaders due to logistical
reasons, but the club are talking to potential new signings from
overseas with the hope of holding down Olinger and Lay, and as soon as
the club’s four week notice immigration application has been ratified,
then Neely will have licence to bring players in.
Keep
checking the website for updates on players and the new season.
Story courtesy of Adam Manning (Crusaders Reporter)
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