Lance Key plans a busy summer to help rejuvenate Histon

Lance Key has a clear vision to set in place plans for next season for Histon.

The Stutes were left in limbo 12 months ago when they were moved leagues at a late stage, which led to a raft of player departures and ended with eventual relegation.

They have already been placed in the United Counties League for the 2022/23 campaign, rather than the Thurlow Nunn Eastern Counties League, which means more travel towards the East Midlands, but it gives them a target to work towards.

“This time round, we know where we are from very early on so we have no excuses now for the start of this next season,” said Histon manager Key.

“We can prepare for it, we know where we’re going, we know what kind of catchment area we need to bring players in from as such, because of where we’ll be travelling to, so we have a better understanding of what we need to do between now and July 30.”

Squad building is already under way.

Skipper Ed Rolph has announced he is leaving the club, having joined in 2017, and Victor Garcia and Tobi Lawal are also departing.

“We can’t thank him enough,” Key said about Rolph.

“He came in from Step 7 and he has just got better and better. He is 6ft 5in, he’s a handful, and on his day he is unplayable at times.

“He will be a big loss and a big void to fill, but then it also might mean we change the way we play if we haven’t got a big target man like that. It could change our ethos.

“But Ed leaves the football club nothing but admiration from myself and the staff at the football club for everything he has given us.”

Otherwise, Key is encouraged that so many of the current Histon squad have signalled their intentions to remain.

But he is well aware that any of the players could be enticed by offers further up the pyramid during the course of the summer.

“I would say 85 per cent of the squad have said they want to stay,” said Key. “I’ve got two or three players that are going to go, and they are the ones that we thought would go.

“It’s now a case of seeing what happens in the next two or three weeks. We try to build by adding two or three to that as well in this time because that’s important to try to rejuvenate ourselves and the squad that we have.

“If we bring one or two in and they are concrete, then all of a sudden that makes all of the others that are pending want to sign for us.”

He added: “At least now, we have no excuses. We know we’re starting on July 30, we know we’re in the UCL, we know we’ve got 75 per cent of the squad that are saying they want to stay.

“If we can add up to four players to that before we go back to pre-season, then great. That’s what we’re striving for and at least we know what we’re up against.”