Hayes & Yeading United will begin planning for next season after securing their Conference South status at the weekend.

Interim manager Tristan Lewis, who could be offered the job on a permanent basis, oversaw a 2-0 win over Bath City to condemn Farnborough to relegation with two games to go.

It was United who had that sinking feeling at the end of the previous campaign when they slipped through the trapdoor before being retrieved thanks to Hereford’s eventual expulsion.

The uncertainty over which league the club would be playing in until the middle of last June meant preparations under Phil Babb, who left the club in February, were behind schedule.

But with Hayes & Yeading’s financial future secured thanks to £300,000 of new funding and their safety in the division now confirmed, a blueprint can be drawn up for next term.

Chairman Tony O’Driscoll said: “It was nice that we did it ourselves and didn’t rely on others. We’ve got two weeks now where we can chill out. We’ve got a few young lads like Jack Thomson-Wheeler, who came on as a substitute, who deserve a chance for a few minutes.

“The last couple of managers we’ve had have come into the job very late and that presents certain difficulties. Teams who you want to organise friendlies with are already committed to other games and players are waiting on offers.

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Duo: Tristan Lewis and Delroy Preddie

“We didn’t even know which division we’d be playing in before this season and that made it difficult to attract players.

“Players want to play at the highest level possible this year and we couldn’t offer them that last summer.

“We’ll talk about plans before the end of the season. Tristan, whether he remains as manager or not, will be involved in those discussions. We need to talk about potential targets and identifying players for next season. We’ll probably do that this week in fairness.

“We haven’t got to worry about relegation now so we can enjoy the next couple of weeks. It was the perfect end to the perfect week for the club with the news about the ground funding as well. There’s a good feeling about the place.”

Hayes & Yeading United travel to Concord Rangers on Saturday, before hosting St Albans City at York Road in their final fixture of the 2014-15 campaign on April 25.

Meanwhile, fellow Conference South outfit Wealdstone slumped to a 2-0 defeat to old rivals Whitehawk in their final home game of the season.

They play Maidenhead on Saturday.