East Harling manager already looking ahead to next season after impressive Hadley & Ottaway Anglian Combination Division One campaign

Providing that he is able to sign the right players during the summer, East Harling manager Stacey Lawrence sees no reason why his side cannot ‘do something special’ in the Hadley & Ottaway Anglian Combination Division One next season.

It has been a predominantly positive campaign for the Green Army, who signed off for the term on Tuesday with a 4-2 home defeat at the hands of high-flying Mundford.

It was a result that means East Harling – promoted last summer – will finish the campaign in either seventh or eighth place depending upon how Easton fare in their final two fixtures.

And while Lawrence has been pleased with how his team adapted to life at a higher level, he also has more than one eye on further improvement in 2019/20.

“I could not be more happy with the overall season,” he said. “You can probably break our season into three parts. At the start we were still learning, in the middle we showed the form of champions and we just seemed to run out of steam a little bit at the end – the injuries took their toll.

“The players and myself learned a lot and I would like to think I know what it takes now to be a side competing higher up the table.

“Three really good sides are being promoted and that opens it up. If we can make the right additions – and we do not need many – then I see no reason why we cannot look to do something special next year.

“We have shown a real togetherness this season and people now know what we are all about – hopefully that helps us when it comes to making a signing or two in the summer.”

On Saturday a Harley Durrant brace sealed a 2-1 win over eighth-placed Easton, opening up a gap of three points between the sides.

However, East Harling were unable to stretch that advantage further on Tuesday evening when second-placed Mundford’s quality eventually told.

It seemed the hosts were going to pick up a credible point after drawing level on two occasions, but a free-kick from Ian Fancett – his 37th goal of the season from 25 appearances – put Mundford in front for a third time and on this occasion there was no coming back for East Harling.

“We really took them apart at times in the first half but could not take our chances,” added Lawrence.

“We worked so hard but they have scored two great free-kicks and we have been undone by the quality that they have.

“There was a lot of Thurlow Nunn League experience on their team sheet and we can be proud that we have matched them for most of the game.

“But it was also a reminder that you have to take your chances at this level because if you don’t you will get punished.”