THE 2018/19 football season is fast approaching, with the South West Peninsula League and Combination League both getting under way this week.

Helston Athletic are the first of our local sides to begin their new campaign when they host Sticker on Friday night (kick-off 7.30pm) and manager Steve Massey spoke to the Packet to preview the new season.

Last season

9th in SWPL Premier

Pre-season so far

Lost 5-0 v Plymouth Argyle (h), Won 4-2 v Porthleven (h), Lost 4-1 v Falmouth Town (a), Won 1-0 v Penzance (n) 

2017-18 in a nutshell?

Above average, a B+ on the school report! I wanted to finish mid-table and I thought it would be a good ask to finish maybe tenth, that was the aim. We did have a stutter in the last two or three games, we had real good momentum and we thought it might be eighth or something but to finish ninth with 50-odd points, I was really really pleased.

Best match of last season?

I think either one or the two games leading up to Christmas time where we had Exmouth and Launceston. We had really built some good momentum, I had a settled 12 players that were playing in positions, confidence was high and we beat them both, 5-1 or 5-0 if I remember rightly.

Worst match of last season?

I was in London and I missed the Senior Cup game at Perranporth and my brother Stu and Jewell [assistant Steve Jewell] were in charge, and not that we’d ever be complacent about a game but that was the biggest feeling of disappointment, that was probably the lowest point of the season.

The game that I watched and took charge of was Stoke Gabriel away and I think somebody said we were like pussy-cats, I think pussy-cats is probably too positive, we were like kittens!

How happy are you with your squad and your transfer business?

The two Beatties [Ryan and Scott Beattie], big strong boys, really ambitious, shows their ambition why they want to come and join us as well and young Louis Roberts who has been in a around the pro game and played at Southern Prem level.

Sometimes you get maybe a player that will come out of the blue, and he played today [Saturday]. He was recommended to me only last night and I saw him play today for us and I’m thinking, ‘wow, there is a player’, he’s going to excite me and that’s Jamie Cooper who has just put pen to paper and signed for us here.

What are you most looking forward to about the new season?

Gelling together as a team, I think you saw probably in the 30-45 minutes at Falmouth, a side that is talked about as maybe challenging for the title and we matched them, at least matched them and I thought we were the better side.

I can see that we can develop into a real good team, a real real good team. I got the boys together at the end of the game against Falmouth and said to them, ‘this is probably where Falmouth were this time last year’ and they had together an exciting team of young players who were passionate, energy and could play, and I think we are at that level.

What are your aims for the new season?

To better what we did last year I’d like to be in a top six position. The club have backed up with incentives, our budget is nowhere anything like maybe who you would consider the top six this year and that’s reflected in where we want to go with the club. But we’ve given them a little bit of incentives that if we finish in a particular position or we get so many points and then that’s the reward, but they have got to go and do it for us first.

I was quite bullish last year about saying ‘yeah we’ll finish mid-table and above’ and I’d like to think I’m bullish again about finishing in the top six.

Who are you tipping for the title?

Tavistock, just with the inclusion of [Glyn] Hobbs. It’s no coincidence that the top four or five goal scorers are at the top four clubs and you need that and Hobbs will be a huge addition. They’ll be there or thereabouts.

We’ve got them in the FA Vase, that will be a tough one, but we’re a good side ourselves and we’ll go up there and give them a game. Falmouth and Saltash will be around Tavy and I’d like to think we’ll be hovering just in and around there.

Top scorer?

I think it’s got to be Hobbs, particularly with the quality that he’s got around him. Everywhere he’s been he scores goals, it’s not like he’s a one-season wonder. Saltash, I always admire with Matty Cusack what he’s doing there, great young coach and with the way he plays Ryan Richards will have lots of opportunities and chances.