QUENTIN TOWNSEND wants to see Pershore Town end a season of transition in style to prove they have developed a long-term winning formula.
After chopping and changing in the early part of the campaign, Townsend believes the squad has now settled into a system which works.
Instead of starting from scratch next term, he says early indications are that most of the players will remain at the King George V Stadium so it will a case of finding the right players to fit into the 3-5-2 tactical plan.
“I’ve tweaked and tinkered with the team all the time I’ve been a manager but I’ve found we’ve developed a formation that tends to work with these players,” said Townsend.
“I would rather work on this formation and any players that come in will work to that system.
“I know the players have enjoyed the last few months. Most of them have said they feel they are on the verge of something special. They want to stay and see how far we can progress.”
Pershore, however, know there is still a big gap between the top teams and the mid-table sides after champions-elect Walsall Wood cruised to a 7-1 win in south Worcestershire on Saturday.
Townsend saluted the team he believes will win Midland League Division One but says the challenge now for Pershore is to set out to win their remaining three matches.
The Plums, currently 14th in the table, head to Stafford Town on Saturday before entertaining Heath Hayes next Saturday and then ending the season on May 1 at Studley.
Town, however, have to rule out unavailable Steve Webb and suspended Cameron Mathewson this weekend.
The Walsall Wood match meant Pershore had conceded seven on their own pitch for the second successive home game but, rather than the humiliation of failing to perform against Paget Rangers, Townsend admitted big-spending Walsall Wood, who were winning a 17th match in a row, are simply better than anybody in the division.
“Like Bromsgrove Sporting last season, they have got the budget and you only have to look at the calibre of their four strikers,” said the Pershore manager. “The four strikers are on more money than I can pay expenses to my entire squad and that’s the difference.
“Walsall Wood deserve it, they have lost only three times and scored more than 140 goals and conceded only 25, so to score against them was a feat.
“Now we end the season with three games against teams in and around us and there’s nothing to fear.”
Oli Manoochehri bagged Pershore’s consolation goal to follow a five-goal blast from Paul Sullivan, a Lei Brown strike and an own goal.
Manoochehri had scored in last Thursday’s 3-3 draw at Coventry Alvis, with Charlie Ntamark also scoring twice.