Paul Quinn has already started to plan for next season at Brighouse Town
Brighouse Town chief Paul Quinn has already started planning for a second season in the Evo Stik Division One North.
The 2014 Toolstation NCEL Premier Division champions have adjusted comfortably to the Evo Stik since their promotion last summer.
Quinn, who takes his side to Bamber Bridge tomorrow night, has already started to identify players he wants to bring to the club for next season.
“I’m always thinking beyond this season,” he told Non League Yorkshire.
“We had a sit-down as coaching staff a few weeks ago to really plan the logistics such as pre-season and things we need to improve.
“I have a meeting with Chris (Lister) and Ray (McLaughlin), the chief executive and chairman coming up where we will really thrash things out.
“Everybody is on the same hymn sheet and we all know where we’re going. We’re grateful that we’re at this level, but we’re not resting on our laurels, we want to push on and be successful.
“We’re always scouting and I think we were out watching seven or eight games when we didn’t have a game last week between the six of us.
“We scour top and bottom trying to find those hidden gems.
“Any tip-off we get and we’ll be out, whether it is the West Riding County Amateur League or the West Yorkshire League or NCEL.
“We’re just looking for those bargains. It is our job to unearth players and we have a couple of players in mind from the West Riding County Amateur League.”
Brighouse have never flirted with the bottom two this season.
Town collected six points from their opening two matches and an unbeaten run in November ensured their presence in the Evo Stik for a second season.
Quinn said: “You look at it and what’s the priority when you come into a new league?
“The priority is to stay in the league and particular with the finances in this league, it is probably the strongest it has ever been.
“If we finish anywhere in mid-table, we’re satisfied with that. Next year we want to keep progressing and keep improving.
“We know we need to improve and get some personnel in and we have a few ideas with new signings.
“We are more than content with what we have done this year. We have learnt a hell of a lot, me included and I think we’re getting better each game.”
The Brighouse chief had hoped turned their St Giles Road ground into a fortress upon their arrival in the Evo Stik.
They have beaten top sides like Salford City and Farsley AFC, but they have still lost eight times at home.
Asked if he felt that their home venue had been a fortress, he said: “Not as much as I hope it will be next season.
“We have talked about the fact we want to make it a really difficult place for people to come to.
“We want to make this place where people look down the fixture list and don’t want to come here.
“We need to make sure we develop that for next season.
“We have beaten some good teams here and I don’t think there are many teams, barring probably Droylsden and Burscough who could go away and say they have had a comfortable game.
“We have made teams work for it even when we have been beat.”
Quinn does have another task on his agenda for next season as he has to replace his key striker Tom Matthews, who can no longer commit to the club on a regular basis.
It was Matthews’ goals which turned Brighouse into a heavyweight in the NCEL and he was their leading goal-scorer for two seasons running.
He has struck ten times this season – including Brighouse’s first goal in the Evo Stik – but his involvement has been sparing recently.
“Tom has been struggling with availability because of work,” he said.
“His availability is going to be limited between now and the end of the season, he’s not left us.
“He’s going to be limited in terms of his involvement and it is probably going to be the same next season.
“It is a blow, but Tom says he’s going to play as often as he can. He has been fantastic for this club.
“The goals and the important goals he’s scored have helped us get to where we are. I hold him in high regard.”