Football Season Guide

The Mariners endured a frustrating first season back in the Football League as they finished in a disappointing 14th place in the League Two table. The experienced Russell Slade was appointed as manager for the second time in April as the successor to Marcus Bignot, whose reigns lasted barely six months. Slade will already have discovered that expectations are high on the North-East coast with plans to move to a 14,000 all-seater stadium at Peaks Parkway in the near future. He made an inauspicious start to the close season when full-back Danny Andrew, voted 2016/17 season player of the year, rejected the offer of a new deal to join promoted local rivals Doncaster Rovers instead. He is just one of a host of players to have left the club this summer as Slade looks to rebuild his team. Defender Andrew Boyce and winger Rhys Browne have both been allowed to join other clubs whilst a trio of stalwarts in defenders Josh Gowling and Shaun Pearson along with midfielder Craig Disley have all left Blundell Park so it feels like the beginning of a new era. Slade has inherited attacking midfielder Sam Jones, a January signing by predecessor Marcus Bignot, and he will be integral part of the side. The gaffer also has a reliable goalkeeper in James McKeown and will be pleased to have re-signed experienced defenders Ben Davies and Danny Collins on one-year deals. They have been joined by defender Nathan Clarke and midfielder Sam Kelly, who have both signed after playing in League One last season. Winger, Siriki Dembele, arrives with plenty of potential from the Nike Academy whilst Slade has also taken a gamble on Reading striker Harry Cardwell. Slade still needs to strength before the end of the transfer window, especially with midfielder Jamey Osborne set to miss six months with a serious knee injury, and the team will need to find more goals if their play-off ambitions are to materialise.