Mark Bradshaw: "With a young side, if we can inject the players with confidence then there’s no knowing where we could end up"

Curzon Ashton manager Mark Bradshaw is excited to lead the club through a new chapter in their 56-year history.

The Nash are preparing for a fifth consecutive season in the National League North and will be confident that, with a new-look squad of experienced and youthful players, a push for the playoffs isn’t beyond the realms of possiblity.

For Bradshaw, the new season represents a chance to stamp his authority as a fully fledged manager.

The former Blackpool defender and England C international had a taste of management last season after taking over from previous boss, John Flanagan in December.

The Nash were facing the spectre of a relegation battle at the turn of the year but, thanks to a nine-game unbeaten instigated by Bradshaw, the club climbed the table and ended the campaign in 18th spot.

Bradshaw also delivered silverware to the Tameside Stadium after clinching the Manchester Premier Cup with a 3-1 victory over Mossley in the final.

Despite the cup success and securing the club’s status in step six for a further season, there has been a deliberate overhaul of players over summer.

In a bid to put his own print on the squad and herald in a new era, Bradshaw has assembled a fresh squad with a good mix of experience and hunger.

Encouraged by the pre-season performances, Bradshaw is now confident that his squad can get off to the best possible start on Saturday, August 3, against Bradford Park Avenue at the Tameside Stadium.

“Over the last few seasons we’ve had really successful youth teams and I wanted to bring them back and have a look at them” he told Reporter Sport.

“A number of them have been out and gained experience elsewhere and I’ve brought them back to have a look at them and see how they’re developing and I wanted to provide them with games and a training environment that’s at this level, rather than the level they’ve been playing at. So hopefully it’s been a really good experience for them.

“We’ve had two games on certain days, and it just allows them to have a full pre-season. What I didn’t want to do was bring a big squad in and only have one game and be giving people five minutes per game. We wanted them to be match fit and fully prepared for the season ahead.

“It’s a marathon, not a sprint, so the pre-season games tell you so much and it’s just building blocks on top of each other. The more games you play, the more things you see and want to work on within your training session. At first it is a fitness based training session but as the games kick in your’e thinking more tactically, then you’re thinking more structurally and you’re encouraging players to claim starting places.

“We’ve brought in a lot of competition and in every game there’s an opportunity to try and gain a shirt for that first game of the season, which is the all-important thing.”

At an absolute minimum, Bradshaw expects 100 per cent effort from his players in every single game.

With this in mind, he has recruited the likes of former Football League players Andy Halls and Nicky Wroe.

Halls joins the Nash with a wealth of experience, having played against Leeds United in League One during his time with the Hatters, but has more recently represented the likes of Chester, Macclesfield Town and Gainsborough Trinity.

Of the signings, Bradshaw said it was important to bring in players who have a massive influence on and off the pitch. “With the young players we have, we also need a little bit of experience and Nicky Rowe and Andy Halls were the two lads we identified, spoke to and got really positive vibes from. All the talk was abut football. Sometimes when you sit down with players the discussion isn’t always about the football, they’re asking you financially what the situation is but with those two players it was never about that - it was always about other factors. They knew about the quality of the pitch and that was a massive incentive for them to join. They also had a knowledge of the structure of the team. They just came across really knowledgeable about the game, obviously they’ve got vast experience at levels above and I felt in the past our Curzon teams haven’t really been able to have players like that.

“I really wanted one or two that had experience from the level above and they could share that experience with the younger players we’ve got at the club.”

Like most club’s in non-league football, Curzon are dependent on an army of volunteers to keep the club running.

With money hard to come by, a good run in the FA Cup can make a huge difference financially - something the club and Bradshaw are all too aware of. “FA Cup runs are vital really; it’s the luck of the draw and you’ve just got to manage each game as it comes really.

“It is going to be difficult this year as we’ve lost a lot of revenue through Stockport and Chorley going up and FC United and Ashton United being relegated, but it’s something we’ve got a budget for and we’ve got to work hard to play attractive football and hope that more local people come to the games. Our aim is to bring people through the gates because we’re playing attractive football and want to go on runs in the cup competitions.”

Although Stockport and Chorley have been promoted, Bradshaw thinks a number of teams will be just as strong this season, with the likes of York City, Spennymoor Town and Brackley Town tipped to push for promotion.

Add to that the extra travelling this year - 2,046 miles in total - plus having to contend with limited resources and one of the lowest crowds in the league, and it’s clear to see why there’s an uphill battle ahead.

Despite facing these tough conditions, Bradshaw is confident of embarking on a promising season and one he hopes will be remembers for all the right reasons.“Our aim is to try and have the best season in this league that we’ve ever had.

“58 points in the first season we were up is the most we’ve got. We’ve always threatened to get near the play-offs and never quite managed it. We’ve never really sustained being in that area of the league and there’s got to be realistic aims. With a young side, if we can get the confidence into them early on then there’s no knowing where we could end up and I do feel this year the league is the most open it’s been in the previous five or six years”.

With the season just over a week away, Bradshaw is excited about the opening day clash against Bradford. He is expecting a tough game but believes it's one that will serve as a good test of character.“Bradford were in the playoffs last season, they’ve had a massive recruitment drive like we have, so they’ve had a lot of players leave but a lot come in.

“We’ll be expecting a tough game, and I’ll be going to watch them in pre-season to see where they’re at.

“They’ve got a player-manager in now who’s obviously going to be really ambitious, has played a lot of professional games, and they’re a club that’ve done well in this league for a number of seasons. So yes, it’ll be a tough game but one we look forward to as it’s at home. We really want to improve our home form this season and also bring supporters back because of the type of football we are going to play.”