WELL, the season is over. While the objective was to keep the season active into May, I don’t think anyone can have any complaints about how our debut season in the National League North panned out. Whilst off pitch problems has meant we don’t have enough places for people to sit, on the pitch, Martin Gray, his coaching staff and players stood up and did exactly what they set out to do.

This season has ultimately been a learning experience for all involved. We have seen what our strengths are in order to build on them. We’ve seen our weaknesses which we need to learn from. I wish I could say that if we’d either scored more goals or conceded fewer we might be talking about having challenged for the league title but there’s little point reflecting on it given it still wouldn’t have changed our fortunes.

For me, what this season has taught us is we are more than good enough to compete at this level. We had an excellent first three months and a strong finishing couple of months. Whilst we were a bit hit and miss during the middle months, the positive to take away from that period was that nobody gave us a real beating. More often than not, it was individual errors that cost us. Cut those out next season and we could start to really push on either for a shot at the playoffs or even the title.

Of course, we don’t know yet how the club will look next season. We’ll either be strengthening on what is a solid core of a squad or we’ll be looking for a new manager, new players and a new start. When I think about who have been our star performers this season, I’m actually tinged with a little sadness. In past years when reflecting on who our best performers had been, my mind was usually focused on how they would perform for us in the next season. This year is slightly different as some of our key players from this season could possibly be lining up against us next season.

First of all, there are those who deserve an honourable mention. I think Stephen Thompson has had a very good season. Every year, he makes the step up with comfort. Thompson can be a frustrating watch at times if he’s not in the game but I think he has worked hard to get himself in to the matches this season and he has made a really good contribution. Meanwhile, Josh Falkingham has come in to the side in the final third of the season and made himself a huge part of the team.

Having struggled to break through following his arrival back in November, it was probably no coincidence that our upturn in form coincided with his return to the team and a string of excellent performances. Whilst every team needs its flair players, this is a functional league where doing the simple things well will win you games. Falkingham does just that.

Finally, my player of the season is Mark Beck. His goal contribution is an obvious bonus but his overall team play is fantastic. It frustrates me when it is implied that he’s the reason why we’ve been a bit agricultural at times but I think the ultimate recognition for the lad of how well he has played this season will be the queue of suitors for his signature. Every team in this division would love to have him line up for them.

Given the uncertainties we face in the coming weeks, I fear we won’t be in any sort of shape to prevent one of our rivals from stealing him. Whether we can replicate (or even better) this season’s performance will depend on what happens in the coming weeks. All of the speculation is starting to frustrate me now. We need to know what the proposals for investment are and who is making them. Whatever happens, I suspect our team on the opening day of next season will look a fair bit different to how it finished at Salford. All we can do now is praise those who have performed well this season and displayed great dignity during what has been a difficult final few weeks.