Finishing a creditable fourth in the Dr Martens League Southern Division plus the maturity at senior level of more than half dozen of his promising youngsters, has given Chelmsford City manager Gary Bellamy a satisfying season.
"With everything considered it was a season that worked out much as planned and I think our final fourth position in the league was about right bearing in mind the development of the team and other considerations," he said.
"So I am not disappointed - far from it because I believe we have something really positive for the future."
"The youngsters have grown up and have also realised that ability alone is not enough to win a league at this level - you have to cope with the physical side too and they have been on a learning curve in this and they have coped admirably."
Bellamy, who has worked the proverbial miracle to produce an attractive playing and winning side under extremely difficulty circumstances, has won admiration too from rival managers and club chairmen for what he has achieved.
Despite restricted financial resources and with no home ground base to work from, the manager has maintained a dignified but assertive style of non-league management which has not gone unnoticed elsewhere - which means City will do well to hold on to him in due course.
"Once we found the right goalkeeper in Paul Catley, I think we consolidated and next season it won't be so much about scoring a hatful of goals but not giving them away, which we have already proved to be reasonably good at, and Paul's permanent signing shows what we can now build on."
Often with no more than 11 senior players to call upon, Bellamy has still managed to cajole and organise a team that has consistently played good football and won against all odds.
He cited the 3-0 win at champions Havant & Waterlooville as the highlight of his season with the lows coming in defeats at Fisher Athletic, Corby Town and Cirencester Town.
"The other disappointment has been the quality of some of the pitches we have had to play on and the quality of refereeing., both of which have deteriorated in my view this season," Bellamy said.
"But you have to get on with it and that is what we have tried to do this season and I would also thank the supporters for their tremendous backing both home and away - it's made a great deal of difference to the players."
"Next season the youngsters will have matured into 19 and 20-year-olds and with one or two experienced additions, I think we will be ready for the championship but it's going to be even harder than it was this season."
Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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