BARNOLDSWICK Town boss Stewart Airdrie is looking forward to next season already, after seeing his side win a crucial survival fight last term.

Barlick stayed in the North West Counties League Premier Division on the final day of the 2014-15 campaign, at the expense of neighbours Bacup and Rossendale Borough, and Airdrie believes winning that battle was crucial.

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He said: “We needed to stay in that league.

“We needed it to attract some players for next season and also to help us put on some decent friendly matches.

“It was crucial for us really.

“I don’t know how we did it in the end. We were relying on a lot of things going our way but the important thing is that we stayed up and we can look forward now.

“We were in a bit of a mess from last summer and it took us a while to get a squad in that we thought would compete in this league.

“Hopefully we have got that now and we can kick on.

“We are working to bring a couple more players in to help strengthen us and then we will see where we are.”

The Barlick players and management jetted off to Benidorm this week for a team-building holiday and Airdrie wants the fighting spirit that was on display in beating the drop in April to help push the team up the table next time around.

“We have always had a good team spirit,” said Airdrie.

“It would have been very easy for players to leave us last season. We were struggling and there was not much going for us but the players who were here fought really hard for each other and we are going to need that again next season.”

With Padiham, Colne and Nelson all within a few miles of the Silentnight Stadium, Airdrie admits player recruitment could prove tricky this summer but hopes the chance for prospective new players to test themselves against the likes of FC United and Clitheroe in pre-season can play some part in strengthening his squad.

“We are behind before we have started in terms of bringing in players from outside the area,” said Airdrie.

“We have a lot of clubs around us and you have to pass through all of them to get to Barnoldswick so it does make it hard to bring in people from outside the area.

“But we are getting close to bringing in a couple and hopefully they can see the chance and opportunity here.”

Airdrie has already strengthened his backroom team ahead of pre-season training with the addition of Paul Cruz who will work alongside the Barlick boss and assistant James Gill.