After committing 10 new and returning players to Bristol Manor Farm, and more deals expected to be struck imminently, Manager Lee Lashenko speaks on the club’s pre-season schedule ahead of the highly-anticipated 2024/25 campaign.
“It’s great to see so many players want to continue playing for Bristol Manor Farm, especially after what was a hugely successful campaign last season,” says Lashenko. “This is a really exciting time to be associated with this fantastic club. There are still more deals to be done, of course, and the Farmy Army can expect a few more signings from now until the end of June when the players return for pre-season.”
While celebrating the continuity and new additions to the squad, Lashenko also reflected on the departures of two key players: Owen Brain and Ollie Woodhouse.
“Owen came to us towards the end of last summer’s pre-season campaign after the recommendation of Jamie Adams, and well, the rest is history. Owen is your ‘bums on seats’ kind of player, and it was a privilege to manage him. Hopefully, our paths might cross again, but we wish him well at his new club.”
Lashenko addressed recent comments made about Owen following his departure from Gloucester City: “I don’t appreciate the comments that have been made towards Owen following his departure from Gloucester City. Anyone with a footballing brain would understand that you don’t ease players like Owen into your sides; in fact, you try and build your teams around them. Gloucester had their opportunity with Owen, and when you make a player feel undervalued, they naturally want to find a club where the manager has their undying confidence in them. I have no doubt Richard Luffman will enjoy working with Owen and seeing his progression up the non-league pyramid.”
Reflecting on Ollie Woodhouse’s move, Lashenko remarked, “In Ollie’s case, he was a player we monitored closely during his time at Roman Glass. After spending last summer on trial at Barry Town, we moved quickly to acquire his services. Naturally, we always knew that Ollie would play at a higher level, and again, Taunton have themselves another quality addition. Like the Farmy Army did, their supporters will enjoy seeing Ollie give everything to the cause next season.”
In addition to player movements, Lashenko is raring to go about the upcoming pre-season: “This has been one of the most exciting off-seasons during my tenure at the club. Myself, Grantley, and John are really looking forward to working with our returning players and welcoming new faces to our ranks. Our pre-season schedule is due to be released imminently, and we can’t wait to see the Farmy Army back at our home and on the road again as we work towards building our most ambitious and exciting year yet.”