A LOT of people assume that when the final whistle is blown, work at the club almost comes to a standstill.

That is far from the truth.

The obvious thing is that, having gained promotion, at what level do we pitch admission prices for next season?

It would be fair to say, for the majority of the season, that gates have been lower than expected for a side in contention for promotion.

The cost of going to games, especially for families, is expensive and that has been a strong consideration in our pricing structure.

Matchday admission prices will remain the same as for last season; season ticket prices will remain the same and family tickets and children’s season tickets will be reduced.

We have also re-formed Junior Bulls and members of that club will also have discounted ticket prices.

It is very difficult to budget with any great accuracy for the coming season.

We are aware that the wage bill will increase simply because the existing players either have rises written into their contracts for promotion or those who are offered new contracts will obviously expect a rise.

We also have to strengthen the squad to meet the demands of the new level we are playing at. We expect to be paying a little bit more for players.

So the natural thing to offset that would be to have increased admission prices. But we have refrained from doing that with the hope that the gates will increase, the atmosphere at Edgar Street will be better and we can improve upon our home results from last season.

At this time, we are also getting deep into conversation again with the Richardsons and, following discussions at our Civic Reception with councillors, have had a meeting at Edgar Street to determine further what may take place at the Meadow End and the Blackfriars End.

At the present time, all we can do is patch up. We do not want to go to great expense for something that may only be there for 18 months or two years.

The flat area at the Blackfriars End will be resurfaced, some new barriers put in and toilets will be renovated and improved.

I realise, of course, that these are only the basics that people would expect on going to any sporting venue.

At the same time, what we do not want to do is put too much into ground improvements and see them demolished in 18 months’ time.

There is also the cost of the renovation of the pitch. It has been improving gradually over recent seasons and I expect it to be in absolutely tip-top condition by kick-off time.

We have also been planning our pre-season programme and I am pleased to say that Wolves, Southampton and West Bromwich Albion have all agreed to come to Edgar Street.

And we will go to Aggborough to meet Kidderminster.

There will be other games put in but so far it seems nicely balanced.

There is an awful lot of work taking place at the club in carrying out the plans for next season but, because of the circumstances, there is a lot of enjoyment and anticipation for the challenge ahead.