GREAT Wakering Rovers chief Dan Trenkel admits it has been an ‘up and down’ season, and is targeting the play-offs next season after finishing 15th this time around.

Having only been promoted from the Essex Senior League last year, Rovers primary goal this term was to secure their Ryman One North status, which they did with a fortnight to spare come the end of the campaign.

Although Trenkel, who picked up the manager for the month award for December after winning all their games, admitted he would have taken 15th after they failed to win any of their first 11 games, losing 10.

“It’s been a very up and down season for us,” he said. “If you’d have offered me 15th after 11 games I’d have bitten your arm off to be honest, and I think the ambition of the club was to stay up this season, but to be quite honest, I believe we could’ve finished higher.

“There is no doubt we had a rude awakening to this league, playing all of the teams who finished in the top five in our first nine league games. However, although the results weren’t going for us we were playing really well without getting any reward.

"The nadir of our season was the game with Ware in September when we lost 3-2 having been 2-1 ahead. After that game I think everyone had written us off and maybe even doubts within the team started to creep in, but we rallied around each other and the results started getting better and better. Two of the games that stand out for me were Dereham Town away, winning 4-1, and Redbridge at home winning 6-2.”

A run of five matches unbeaten in March took Rovers to the brink of safety and Trenkel said it was credit to the players that they finished above sides they had no right to.

“We finished ahead of some sides with resources far in excess of our own, like Maldon & Tiptree, Cheshunt, Cray Wanderers and Waltham Abbey so that is pleasing but I still look at some of the sides around the top eight and we are not worse than them. We have just struggled with consistency, but people seem to forget that I have a squad with an average age of 22, and 75 per cent of our squad had never played at this level before so it’s a credit to them how they adapted.

“We know where we need to improve next season and I’m hoping I’m given the financial backing to go and secure the two or three players I think can push this squad a lot further up the table.

“I know virtually every manager in our league will say they believe they should be making the play-offs but when I see what we are up against I truly believe we can get there.

“The league will be a lot harder next year with Witham Town, AFC Hornchurch, Bury Town and Haringey Borough coming in.

The Haringey manager is already talking about his side going full-time and playing in the conference in a couple of years so that shows you the kind of finance we are up against.”

Player of the season – Collective (awards announced May 15) Goal of the season – Tom Ranger (Redbridge Nov ’14)