Pontefract Collieries plan to improve after being disappointed with mid-table finish in 2022-23 season

Colls finished exactly halfway up the table, in tenth position, but were in the top six for the first half of the campaign only to finish with just two wins from their last 12 league matches.

Injuries and suspensions played a part in the side’s drop down the table after their promising start, but a season that promised much effectively fizzled out.

"We’re disappointed and felt we should have finished a little higher,” said manager Rouse.

"There’s been mitigating circumstances, but I know we’ve come in for a little bit of criticism in certain channels about the way we’ve had to play at the back end of the season.

"What I would say to that is if you take players like Joe Lumsden out of the team in February and Jack Vann, whose season ended at that point. (Harry) Spratt was out for a number of weeks and you are losing players who are key to how we play and we haven’t got resources as a club to naturally go out and find replacements.

"We have to try and do our recruitment early in the summer and that’s what we’ll try and do again next season.

"We do we feel we should have finished higher, but we are glad we finished on a positive note and give the fans something to cheer about and get their hopes up for next season.”

Rouse has seen a growing supporter base at Pontefract since his return to the club as manager.

He said: “Ever since I came back to the club the support has grown.

"I know we’ve grown a lot of the support off the back of the Halifax game last season in the FA Cup. They are the ones who are maybe a little bit impatient and don’t realise where we’ve come from at times. If you look five years ago we’re a club struggling to get 50 through the gate in the NCE Division One and now that’s our third season at NCL level.

"We have to make sure we secure our place in the pyramid. We’re not a club who can just blow teams away financially so we have to find our way – and year on year we seem to get stronger.

"We’ve improved on last season’s finish, we’ll go away and plan and try to go one better next year to try to pinch a spot in the play-offs next season.”

Rouse explained that he was aiming to get players tied down now for next season with plans already in motion for the next campaign – forwards Mikey Dunn and Joe Lumsden have already committed themselves to the club for next season and more will follow.

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He added: “The hard work starts now for us as staff.

"The easy bit’s training Tuesday, Thursday and turning up Saturday!

"The phone will not stop, we’ll be constantly in communication with players we want to bring in and our players we want to retain.

"We’ll look to put together a strong squad, regroup and come back stronger.”