BILLERICAY Town manager Craig Edwards insists his team is in stronger shape now that it was last season despite cuts to the wage bill.

Club chairman Steve Kent announced last week that Billericay’s playing budget had been cut for the first time in six years due to the need to tend to pitch and ground repairs at New Lodge.

The loss of funds also means the club will not be running an Under-21 side next term, with many of the successful youth products expected to bridge the gap to the first-team.

Edwards has now been tasked with rebuilding a squad for the second time in as many seasons after a number of key players left for pastures new.

But the Billericay manager said he has rarely been more positive in the off-season, despite a 20 per cent reduction in player spending.

“You want to push on and you want to keep up with the other sides and losing about 20 per cent of our wage bill has made things more difficult,” he said. “But I understand the chairman’s reasons fully as anyone who has seen the ground understands it needs work.

“In the close season you can’t get too carried away. We lost Tom (Derry to Kingstonian) and Teddy (Nesbitt to East Thurrock) and you think ‘oh dear and it is all doom and gloom’ but the last two days have been fantastic in terms of incomings.

“I believe the players we have coming in and the side I have in my mind means we are as strong if not stronger than last year and the four brought in this week would have walked into our team last year.

“We need certain qualities in certain areas and we adapted last year as we had to bring in so many but this year we are trying to be more in keeping with what we have been successful with over the years.

“We are very far in front of where we want to be and I feel confident despite the budget cut.”

Edwards brought in a raft of players from lower division last season, with the likes of Quentin Monville and Mike Fondop (from Clapton and Stanway Rovers) adapting to Ryman League football quickly.

And although the Town chief won’t announce his new players until they have signed registration forms at the start of July, he says they will need to adapt quickly while admitting he would relish the prospect to continue the Under-21 team next term.

“We are bringing players in from lower divisions but I believe they will be fantastic and they need to realise that potential early, they must believe,” he said.

“We play away at a Conference National side to start pre-season and that will be a good chance to evaluate where we are at.

“We have lost the Under-21 side this season down to costs and it is disappointing having won the U21 League last year but if a sponsor was available I would be keen to continue it. It was very beneficial.”