MARK Simpson has been handed a pre-season boost after Blues chairman Luigi Del Basso promised there would be no budget cutbacks next season (2010-2011).
Simpson’s hands were tied last term after a series of budget cuts followed Bishop’s Stortford FC’s early exits from the FA Cup and FA Trophy – which meant he lost key players.
Stortford were fifth at one stage in Blue Square South but following the cuts, the team struggled and it needed a strong finish to avert the drop.
Blues manager Simpson met with his chairman on Friday.
He said: “It was a very productive meeting. There was no hung parliament. The budget is going to stay the same as at the end of the season and it will be for the whole season.
“It will not alter and that is very encouraging. If the gates go up, there is a chance of improving the squad [and improving the budget].”
“It’s something we can work on. If we can carry on where we finished off with the results [last season] and give the young lads a go, we can show what we can do,” he said.
The Blues boss will target three signings in the summer. “I am looking for a central defender, a central midfielder that can score goals and a striker. We will be looking to improve what we have got over the summer,” he said.
Simpson was unsure if any of his squad will quit, but there has been speculation that midfielder Scott Shulton – the club’s Young Player of the Year – might switch back to a Blue Square Premier club.
He could not name these players or the clubs that have released them.
Up to four Blues Academy players will strive to break into the first team next term, but Simpson is adament the club will treat these young stars with care.
“I gave [left-back] Ted Llewellyn five games on the trot then rested him and then he came back refreshed,” he said.
“It’s a fine judgement how to bring them on.”
