Burroughs excited to get going

He may only be 24, but Adam Burroughs does not expect his age to be a hindrance as he prepares for his first full season in management.

The former Diss Town and Harleston Town striker joined Long Stratton as a coach midway through last season, and went on to be appointed the joint boss alongside Steve Race.

However, with Race having stepped down to take charge of the club’s reserves, Burroughs has now inherited the responsibility of the first team on a solo basis.

From the outside some may believe that Burroughs is too young to be in such a role, but he feels he has enough experience from his playing days to take it all in his stride.

“I will not be playing, just focusing on the management side of the game,” he said.

“I have had three serious injuries over the last few years and so it felt like the right time.

“Management was always something I felt I would move in to, although this is a bit faster than I planned.

“I am young, but I have played under some good managers at a decent level so I would like to think I know what I am doing.

“Instead of setting personal goals, it will now be about how I can get the best out of players.”

Stratton finished in an impressive fourth position in the Hadley & Ottaway Anglian Combination Premier Division last term, having struggled in seasons gone by.

Nevertheless, Burroughs feels they could have ended up even higher and is looking to get even more out of the squad during 2018/19.

“We were well organised and hard to beat at times – it got better as we went on,” he added.

“But I was still a little bit disappointed with some of the losses.

“We dropped points in games when we should have been taking all three and that means we could have finished higher.

“Hopefully having a full pre-season with the team will help get my ideas across.”