With the Bee's buzzing about their previous season's heroics and the club buoyed by their newfound success, I opted to try my luck once more with the board...
Finally.
Having received my last qualification just a handful of months into the start of my career this long awaited breakthrough finally gets the ball rolling towards a much needed boost to the top and it wasn't hard to see why the board finally granted my wishes...
With just under One Million in the bank following the clubs high-flying end to the season, the Six Hundred fee for my coaching course suddenly doesn't seem all that generous.
Non the less having finally arrived at a club with Finances actually on the up, it seems I might be on the cusp of something special.
_______
Having made an instant impact in the Football League, The pressure is now on to build from the promising start made with the Bee's.
With my first full season ahead of me and a squad already proving to be capable of mixing it up at this level, I expected the pre-season Transfer window to be a quiet one.
I was wrong...
Just a duo of departures from the club as young Attacking Midfielder Brian O'Donnell departs the club on a free transfer to join the mighty Aston Villa, whilst want-away central defender Ricardo Santos is granted his wish with a Sixth Thousand pound transfer to Fleetwood Town.
Despite losing just the two players things certainly didn't end there...
Thirteen departures.
Not going to lie most of these players didn't even feature from the club as they play out their measly contracts in the Under Twenty-Three's but that's not to say we didn't get away entirely unscathed.
Plummer and Johnson were both starting defenders last season but despite the Clubs burst into the playoff places, the duo turn their noses up at another season at the Hive, opting to take their chances on the free market and leaving me with a large defensive hole to fill.
Joining them out the exit door goes, fringe striker, Marcus Dinanga and midfielder Ben Rowthorn. Having rarely troubled my starting eleven, both men refused to take lower wages with the club ruthlessly showing them the door as a result.
With numbers whittled down and no fewer then five loanees departing the club, things suddenly got desperate...
Time to build a squad.
From: Reading
Cost: Free
With numbers at an all time low and a number of players returning to their parent clubs, I waste little time in getting us back up to speed as we sign up Readings soon to be out-of-contract winger, Gary Jackson. Having been one of a number of on loan players last season, the club swoops in to snap him back up on a permanent basis.
From: Nottingham Forest
Cost: Free
In a repeat of our first signing we once again snap up another former loanee as we bring in striker, Lloyd Neal. The Twenty-Three Year old proved himself more then worthy of a full-time contract with the Bee's as we look to help him build on his sixteen goal tally for the club last season.
From: Bradford Park Avenue
Cost: Free
Returning to my former club, I snap up promising central midfielder, Rikki Vine. The Twenty-Three year old was one of the finest players at the club but it seems the clubs financial woes are certainly proving costly as they let the one-time Stoke player slip through their grasp despite being more then capable at this level and beyond. Bargain signing.
From: Out of Contract
Cost: Free
Having quickly signed up three players I had previous knowledge of, I keep up the frantic pace of arrivals as we snap up former Arsenal youth product, Karakatsanis. The Greek defender appears to be more then capable of making it in English football despite his disappointing release and will be keen to make an instant impact at the Hive.
From: Out of Contract
Cost: Free
With wingers becoming paramount to my apparently game-changing Four-Two-Four formation, I make the move to bring in some capable depth to the team as we snap up David Mitchell. Having played under me with Torquay whilst on loan from Reading, the rapid Twenty-One year old is more then capable of adding competition out wide.
From: West Ham
Cost: On Loan - End of Season
With five permanent arrivals and essentially an entire defensive line-up in need of replacing I turn to the loan market and some of our fellow London best clubs finest young talent. West Ham's John Evans is first to arrive. The teenage stopper, might not quite have enough about him to get the number one shirt but will prove to be a more then capable backup on the sidelines.
Despite needing to essentially graft together a promising back four, I do briefly distract myself as I snap up Arsenal's Ian Smith. The Twenty-Two year old looks set to fall short of the Gunners exacting standards but with a lethal finish and solid all round attributes the agile finisher could prove a valuable addition in Barnet.
Joining Smith from the depths of Chelsea's youth team comes Steve McDonnell. Despite not possessing the same ability as his Team-mate, the Twenty year old could well prove adept at this level. With promising defensive talents and the Natural fitness of a seasoned marathon runner, he's certainly got a bright future ahead of him.
