MARK Bower heads into the close season looking forward to making plans for his first full campaign in charge of Bradford Park Avenue.

The former Bradford City skipper and centre back could take his summer break with only the worry of which boots to choose for the next season when he was at Valley Parade.

A spell as a player-coach at Halifax Town, followed by a similar role at Guiseley before he was appointed manager of the Lions, saw his transition from poacher to gamekeeper completed.

When he arrived at Horsfall Stadium, 11 games into the National North season with the club bottom of the table, his appointment was as manager only.

Although his right-hand man, midfielder Danny Boshell, is a player-assistant manager, Bower is now very much boots off.

"The close season is a really busy time for managers and coaches, as I've learned over the last few years, but it's also a very enjoyable time," he said.

"I'm looking forward to it and so is Danny, even though there's so much to do. We have spoken with the club's board of directors and the budgets have been set. We know what we have to spend and I think we can improve on what we achieved last season.

"It certainly won't be the biggest budget in the division and you have to realise that there are some very big clubs in this league. But we feel it is a budget that we can work with and we can take the club forward.

"We already have a good squad of players and the signings we made towards the end of the season have made us even stronger. They are a good set of lads and are an honest and hard-working bunch.

"For me, Danny and the people working so hard for the club behind the scenes, it's important that we get it right and move the club on.

"Six players have moved on (goalkeeper Jon Worsnop, strikers Emile Sinclair, Chris Sharp and Liam Dickinson and midfielders Aidan Chippendale and Sanchez Payne have been released) but we want to get the majority of the squad tied down and get our recruitment right.

"Football is a business that never stands still, so we have to make sure we don't make the same mistakes that we made last season.

"We must build on what we have done by climbing the table and not just finishing in a higher position. We want to be challenging for promotion."