Familiar faces are key factor for Sandy as Diamonds prepare for pre-season return
Elliot Sandy is very happy to have retained the core of last season's squad as AFC Rushden & Diamonds begin the countdown to the new campaign.
The Diamonds squad return for pre-season training on Thursday night, and there will be a lot of familiar faces being put through their paces in the late June heatwave.
Some players have left, most significantly goalkeeper Dan Jezeph and midfielder Aidan Webster, while there has also been a clutch of new arrivals.
But the bulk of the squad that saw Diamonds finish mid-table in the Pitching-In Northern Premier League Midlands Division last season remain part of the furniture at Hayden Road, and Sandy believes that is going to be crucial to ensure the team hits the ground running when the competitive action starts.
Talking to @AFCDTV, Sandy said: "The big thing is the continuity, lads who know the club, know how me and Jim (Le Masurier, assistant manager) work, and that can only help the new players coming in.
"If we had to scrap things again and get a whole new squad, then you don't have that and everybody is trying to get to know what you're like.
"We have a good group to work with, we have kept everybody we wanted to keep really.
"We were disappointed to lose Jez (Jezeph), but with where he lives that didn't work out and I wish him all the best.
"Then there's Webby as well and we wanted to keep him, we offered him a better deal, but unfortunately we were able to match what other teams were offering, and that's football.
"We can't afford to just throw silly cash at players, although I wish I could!
"But we can't do that, so we need to find the right characters, the right type of people who want to play for a big club, play for a big fanbase and want to play for a management team that will let players express themselves and enjoy themselves.
"But they also have to know that once you step over the white line you work hard and give everything for the badge and club.
"We have to shop smartly, and I feel we are doing that.
"My job is to put a better team on the pitch to perform better and to have a better season than we did last year."