They may have missed out on a place in the Pitching In Southern League Division One South play-offs by the slenderest of margins, but there is plenty to shout about at Larkhall Athletic.
Their sixth-place finish represented progress with highly-rated manager, Ollie Price, already committing for next season and recently work commenced on an exciting project to put down a 3G surface and new 250-seater stand at their Plain Ham home.
This allied to a strengthening of the club’s youth pathway means that there is plenty to look forward to.
“The club is constantly moving forward and the Chairman [Paul Rankin] certainly drives that from the front,” manager, Ollie Price told us. “He deserves a lot of credit for that; this is a very well-run club and everything is meticulously planned.
“Everyone has their own specific roles to play and there is certainly plenty for us to look forward to as a club, on and off-the-pitch.
“Obviously it was disappointing to get so close to reaching the play-offs and ultimately missing out on goal difference, but we can’t lose sight of what a great season it was and I am extremely proud of the progress we have made over the past 12 months.
“Our first priority is always to secure our Southern League status and then everything after that is a bonus. Going into the season, we wanted to improve upon our finish from the previous year, which was 11th, so we did that.
“With all of the positive things going on, it didn’t take me long to agree to extend my stay as manager. After several conversations with the directors, it was clear that we all share the same vision, so the decision was easy.
“I’ve put a lot of hard work in over the past two seasons and now we’re starting to see the benefits. I’m already excited for the new season, especially with the new 3G pitch installed. It will be a state -of-the-art facility and a great place to play our football.
“I’m expecting the League to be just as competitive in 2024/25. The results from this season show how everyone was able to beat each other, but in the end, it was the best two teams, Wimborne Town and Frome Town, who got promoted and that doesn’t necessarily always happen.
“From our point of view, nothing will change as we go into the new season; first and foremost, our aim will be to secure our Southern League status as quickly as possible and then we will look to continue pushing forward.
“The new facilities will certainly help the club reach further into our local community and reap the benefits that come with it.”
This week saw the club’s oldest volunteer, Phil 'Alfie' Tiley, take the first slice out of the pitch and the process to dig up the grass surface began. We will watch progress with interest,
IMAGE: Larkhall Athletic FC
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