We spoke to AFC Fylde fan Jack about the club's prospects in the National League North.
The 14/15 season was amazing for us. Most of us thought it would be a mid table finish for us with a few targeting the play-offs. We took a lot of teams by surprise and recorded some eye catching results, like the 8-1 win at Oxford City. Despite missing out on promotion we had a fantastic 14/15 campaign not only in the league but also in the cups, equalling our best run in the FA Cup and recording our best finish in the FA Trophy.
HAVE YOU BEEN IMPRESSED WITH THE ADDITIONS MADE DURING THE SUMMER BREAK?
I have been very impressed with the new signings this summer. Matty Hughes is very well known in the higher divisions of non league football but sadly didn't get a lot of chances at Fleetwood. Dom Collins is a rock at the back and has shown us why he has played in the Football League and will give Hannigan and Langley fierce competition. Sam Finlay I don't know much about however Dave Challinor has been tracking him for several years and he obviously liked what he saw.
ARE THERE ANY AREAS YOU FEEL STILL NEED STRENGTHENING?
Personally I think we don't need to strengthen much further as a lot of our players are very versatile and aswell as this our development squad lads have been impressive in pre season and when called upon last year. Chally has a lot of decisions to make in terms of team selection this season.
ARE THERE ANY FIXTURES THAT YOU'RE PARTICULARLY LOOKING FORWARD TO?
With the league significantly strengthening this year I am looking forward to a lot of matches this season. Obviously the derbies with Chorley over christmas and new year is a highlight and will see a big crowd at Kellamergh Park as will the games with FC United. Going to Edgeley Park last season was a great experience and we host them on the August Bank Holiday which will be a huge game for us and I really enjoyed grounds like Aggborough. As for the new teams this year Corby should be a good away day and I have wanted to visit Telford and Nuneaton's grounds too.
WHICH OPPOSITION TEAM DO YOU HAVE HIGH HOPES FOR THIS SEASON?
With all the changes in the division this year and with some many clubs bringing in big name players for this level the league is very open. Along with ourselves I think Alfreton will have a solid season and Chorley will be there or thereabouts too. Stockport need to start strong if they're to have a good season, FC United will be up there as will Boston and Telford. If I had to pick a dark horse for a good season I would pick Bradford Park Avenue. We played them 4 times last year and every game was a close run thing. They've brought in Michael Potts from ourselves and James Walshaw from Harrogate who gets a lot of goals at this level. Their chairman is also not afraid to invest in all areas of the club.
WHICH PLAYERS AMONG YOUR SQUAD SHOULD WE BE LOOKING OUT FOR THIS TERM?
All of them to be honest! Ben Hinchliffe is a solid keeper and our back four could easily play in higher divisions. I didn't see better centre backs than Josh Langley and Tom Hannigan last season and it showed as we had the best defensive record. Brad Barnes likes a big game and is a real leader of the team. Danny Lloyd scores some spectacular goals as does Richie Allen who is our all time top scorer. Danny Rowe got over 30 goals last season and has been vital to our success. My one to watch this season is Dion Charles. He came to us from Blackpool and didn't play much until March. He scored a screamer to earn a point at Chorley then ran the game at Worcester. He has progressed so much since then and has grown physically as well as technically. He scored 5 goals in pre season too.
WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'LL END UP AT THE END OF THE SEASON?
I think after going so close last year the goal has to be promotion and if we play like we did last season I don't see why we can't achieve that. We play entertaining attacking football and are solid at the back. We had a period where we lost a few games in a row and at times there seemed to be a force field on the opposition goal. We need to start quickly and blow teams away more often this season.
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