Alan Devonshire: 'We need to make sure we have a better season than last year'

Alan Devonshire has said he’s looking forward to seeing how his new-look squad fares when the National League season gets underway next month, with the Magpies manager targeting a fast start and a mid-table finish.

United finished 20th last year, with their survival battle going down to final minutes of the season. They edged out Torquay United by a couple of points, but relegation came far too close for comfort and Devonshire is hoping his squad will be better equipped to avoid such a scenario this season.

As it stands, four new players have arrived in the close season, with 10 moving on. Kevin Lokko was just a couple of weeks after the campaign ended, while Lewis Kinsella, goalkeeper Craig Ross and striker Harry Parsons having followed him into the York Road fold. Devonshire hopes to add two or three more players before the season starts and is targeting a midfielder and a wide-attacking player who can also play as a number 10.

He hopes to make progress on a couple of those signings in the coming weeks, and updated fans on their progress on that front at a question-and-answer session in Stripes Bar last Wednesday. Devonshire and his backroom team also spoke about a few of the players who weren’t retained this summer, admitting a few of them had ‘let the club down’ in the battle to stay up.

“We need to make sure we have a better season than last year,” said Devonshire. “I am looking forward to seeing how the new boys integrate in our system.

“Last year, I think a lot of senior players let the club down. Some had injuries or didn’t perform how they should have performed. That’s really why they have moved on and we have got new ones in.

“I like to think we have [got a good blend of young and experienced players]. At the end of the day, you can’t have all young players. We had six senior players out in our final game of the season last year and look how that went. Time will tell with these things. This is a tough league, and we don’t have the money like the other clubs so we will be up against it right from the start but we will give it our best and see what happens.”