AFC Wimbledon manager Neal Ardley has given his backroom staff some homework assignments this week as the club looks to get an early start on preparations for next season.
The Dons still have two games to go in League Two, starting with a trip to Bury on Saturday, but have the luxury of already knowing they will remain in the division next season.
That hasn’t always been the case in previous years and the fight for survival in Ardley’s first campaign as boss went right to the wire as Jack Midson came to the rescue against Fleetwood.
There will be no nervy final-day finish when Cheltenham come to town on the final day this year though and it means Wimbledon can begin drawing up a blueprint now.
Building a new team can be a long process and Ardley has set the wheels in motion by gathering intelligence from assistant Neil Cox and coach Simon Bassey.
Ardley told Dons Player: “It’s nicer to know what you’re planning for but I’m focused on winning every game of football and making sure every training session is at the intensity I want it to be.
“I want to get to the targets I’ve set but we’ve already had two or three meetings about next season.
“I’ve challenged my staff and given them sheets of things to work on and we’ll go away and come back in two weeks and have the answers to questions.
“When we know where we are with that then we can start planning.
“With recruitment, which is obviously a massive part of what’s going to happen in the next six weeks, so many clubs are fighting at either end of the table.
“You don’t know what is going to happen, who is going to be out of contract or who is going to be renewed.
“We don’t even know all of that at our club yet. You do have to sit tight a little bit and see how the summer unfolds and then whatever might fit your criteria you will start to pursue.”
Meanwhile, Wimbledon’s squad will be supplemented for the trip to Bury by the addition of fit-again pair Jack Smith and Alfie Potter.
