HARWICH and Parkeston manager Mike Wallace insists it is essential that they have players who are proud to play for the club.

The Shrimpers are hoping to be a competitive force again in Thurlow Nunn League first division south next season and are already making plans for the 2020-21 campaign.

Wallace admits the coming months will be financially challenging for non-league clubs due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and Harwich will be no exception.

But he is confident that the club can strive for success - with players who are proud to wear the badge.

Wallace said: “We don’t want people here who are just here for the ride – we want them here for the whole journey.

“It’s about having the right people involved and making sure that the people of Harwich have a football club that they follow and support and it doesn’t go back to the bad days of languishing in the Border League.

“We want to be competitive next year but we’re also realistic and we will compete within our means and have players who play for the badge and the fans, because they’re the most important thing.

“We don’t have anyone on contract – everyone is free to go and talk to other clubs but we just hope that players want to stay to see what we’re doing.

“The team has to be competitive and our aim is to try and finish as high as we can and do everything we can to try and finish in the top four if we can.

“But at the same time we have to look after our long-term future as a club and we’re realistic.

“We’re hopeful that we can keep our players and plan for a new season.

“I think there will be a lot of changes at a lot of clubs, at our level – that’s just the way it’ll be.

“I think this year is going to be very hard.

“There won’t be the money about in football that there was before.

“We’ve never thrown silly money about but it was more about having players at the club who want to represent the town and the club and play for the badge."