Gainsborough Trinity secretary hails work done by boss Curtis Woodhouse

Boles has been impressed by the work Woodhouse has done in assembling a competitive squad on a shoestring budget.

“He has done a good job all things considered,” said Boles.

“This season we went in not knowing where we were and Curtis and the chairman made it clear we had to make hard decisions.

“Curtis has worked within the budget and brought in a new side. Aside from four or five players it is a fresh squad.

“We did not commit to contracts, which is risky at this level of football, because those players are there for the picking if they impress.

“All the talk at the start of the season was just to get through the season. We knew it was going to be tough, we wanted to make sure we are not in a relegation battle and we are well above achieving that.

“We have had some good results and a lot of us on the inside, knowing what the wage bill is, are really happy with where we are sat.”

And Boles feels the season has also been a valuable learning experience for the Trinity board.

“As a board one thing we have always done is not spend what we don't have,” he said. “We don’t budget for cup runs that may not happen

“We have a good reputation within the game and word of mouth gets around.

“As a board we are always learning. We always joke that we could write a book with what goes on at Trinity, we have written two chapters during COVID.

“We always learn as a board and as individuals. We have learnt a lot from this that we can use in the future.”

And Boles has also been pleased how the younger players have stepped up to the challenge.

“We were really struggling with playing Saturday to Tuesday,” he added.

“We were wiped out by injuries. We had nine players out for the Bamber Bridge game, at our level you can't afford that.

“It gave a chance to the young lads and three of our U21's - they did well and credit to them.

“lt’s been a good opportunity for fringe and youth players to stake a claim and they have stepped up.”