New Thackley manager Andy Patterson thinks his predecessors did a very good job and, despite a poor ending to the last campaign, it was still a positive season.

The former Bradford City reserve striker took over as the Dennyboys’ boss with just six games of last season remaining. The outgoing pair were joint managers Lee Clapham and Dave Morgan.

Patterson won just one of those half-dozen games but ended with back-to-back draws as Thackley finished 13th.

He said: “From a club point of view, it was very disappointing but I feel we should look at it as a whole and it was encouraging to be up there for most of the season.

“You have to step back and look at it objectively. To get 70 points is very good - in most season's with a return like that we would have been in the top six.

"If you look at the top four clubs, they all had someone near the top of the scoring charts.

“That is something we haven’t had at Thackley for a lot of years - a potent forward who will get 25 to 30 goals a season.

"The lads here have chipped in from all positions really, and I want that to continue so that we’re not relying on any one person because, as we all know, those players are few and far between and come at a cost.”

The new boss is keen to acknowledge the work of Clapham and Morgan and feels the players missed them once they had gone. Clapham became isolated after Morgan, who had managed the club on his own previously, developed leukaemia and was subsequently an infrequent visitor at training and on match days.

Patterson added: “This club has a real spirit - it always has had.

"I think that Dave becoming ill had a big effect on the club and the players. I think it hit them harder than they thought. They only had a month or so to get used to the fact that Dave had cut back his workload because of his condition.

“They are a close group here and it was always going to play on their minds.

But, to be fair to them when I took over, even though it was at a time when things were not going well on the pitch, the lads didn’t go hiding. They pitched in and gave everything.”