SO, what has been the highlight of the year for you?
It’s been a very enjoyable year, full stop.
But obviously the Challenge Cup final at Wembley was exciting for everyone concerned.
Until this year, I didn’t really appreciate how much a trip to Wembley for the Cup final meant to the English, but I do now! It is a very special occasion indeed.
From a purely coaching perspective, I feel all the players here have improved parts of their game individually, and that gives you a tremendous amount of satisfaction.
Everyone trains and works hard for each other in a bid to make adjustments and improvements to their game, and there’s no doubt that’s paid off.
There’s no question watching players develop is a thrill for a coach.
And in terms of that development, Shaun Lunt must be right up there, mustn’t he?
He’s certainly had a highly memorable year, there’s no doubt about it.
Baloo found him playing at Workington Town in the National League last season, and what he’s achieved this season is nothing short of remarkable.
Let’s put it this way, when he missed the games for us at the back of the season it really hurt us, and that’s not something you would have said at the start of the year.
I’ve also been impressed with the way the likes of Larne Patrick, Keal Carlile and Josh Griffin have developed.
All three of them didn’t have the benefit of a pre-season, but they’ve shown in the first-team opportunities they’ve had that they can play valuable roles for us next season. It will be interesting to see how hard they can push the senior guys for places in 2010.
