Passionate Tony O’Driscoll has vowed to invest in Hayes & Yeading United’s playing squad over the summer to avoid another Conference South scrap for survival next season.
United signed off for the season with a disappointing 3-0 defeat to St Albans City to see them finish one place above relegated Farnborough and Staines Town.
It has been yet another turbulent year for Hayes & Yeading as the threat of closure loomed over the club until a life-saving £300,000 cash injection was secured earlier this month.
That funding will allow chairman O’Driscoll to get work restarted on their unfinished Beaconsfield Road Stadium and he is already targeting December for a possible return to the borough.
United have arranged another ground share with Maidenhead for next season but have inserted a winter break clause into the agreement with the York Road club to allow them to leave.
Crippling fees of more than £1,000 a game to play in Berkshire had put the club at breaking point and O’Driscoll was forced to seek the massive external investment.
With the financial situation now clearer for the Middlesex side, the Hayes & Yeading chief has expressed his desire to bring in fresh blood and push for greater things in 2015-16.
“I don’t want to be in this situation again because we’ve had this two years running now,” O’Driscoll said of the club’s on and off-the-field struggles.
“For the last two years we’ve had no money, but now we have some money , of which most will be going into building the stadium.
“But we don’t owe anybody any money and all other money coming in will be put into the playing side.
“So players will come in, which will keep the supporters happy, and we won’t be scrapping next year.
“Our key players who we want to keep on have been spoken to already and they seemed happy.”
While new faces will arrive from other clubs, O’Driscoll is also keen to point out that the club’s U18s are title winners and the chairman presented the team with their silverware before Saturday’s game.
Two of that triumphant squad, managed by interim first-team boss Tristan Lewis, featured in the loss to St Albans and United expect more youngsters to make the step up.
“The majority of the youngsters at our club will be coming through the system and should be playing next year in the league,” O’Driscoll added.
“We won’t be having the reserves next year as the new U21s division will come in.
“At the moment Tristan is in control of the first team, reserves, U18s and the academy so I think we need to get someone else in to help out.”
