Mark Armstrong LOWESTOFT Town joint boss Ady Gallagher has predicted a bright future for the Trawlerboys and vowed to stay true to the principles that have seen the club rise up the non-league pyramid.

Mark Armstrong

LOWESTOFT Town joint boss Ady Gallagher has predicted a bright future for the Trawlerboys and vowed to stay true to the principles that have seen the club rise up the non-league pyramid.

With the squad's average age being just over 22, Gallagher hopes Lowestoft can continue the success they have enjoyed in the last two seasons through successive promotions and wants to keep the club local in its player recruitment.

“I think the average age of the squad just goes to show that we've got a very young team that is still developing,” said Gallagher. “No-one is over 30, Godders (Jamie Godbold) is the oldest player we've got at 29 and it certainly bodes well for the future.

“We've always prided ourselves on staying really local in terms of looking for players and we stayed true to that over the summer.

“When we were sweeping all before us in the Ridgeons League and reaching the FA Vase final we got there with mainly Lowestoft-baed players.

“As we develop and move up the pyramid it becomes more difficult to adhere to that but we still want to attract players that have East Anglian roots.”

While Gallagher would love for the Blues to be made up solely of Lowestoft-based players, the joint manager knows this is unrealistic if the club is to realise its lofty ambitions.

Lowestoft have spread their net to cover East Anglia and hopes that academy players released from big clubs like Norwich City and Ipswich Town can now see them as a viable alternative to keep their careers alive.

“I think we've become a club that players look to when they have been released by the bigger boys,” he added.

“I think there are a lot of good footballers in this area and the players that we look to sign are local.

“We have always wanted our players to have an affinity for the club and that hasn't changed just because of the promotions we've enjoyed over the last couple of seasons.

“We always look around the local leagues if we are looking to bring in players. We've not got a big catchment area like a London club might have.

“Seventy per cent of our catchment area is the North Sea and although Harry Haddock has been knocking a few goals in we're just not sure he would cut it at our level!

“But seriously, to go through all the changes we have over the last few seasons I think the club deserves credit for keeping a local mentality.”