FC CLACTON manager David Coyle is ready to start shaping his squad for next season.

The Seasiders boss was holding fire with regards to speaking to his existing squad until their fate was known, in terms of relegation.

Until recently, the club could have dropped down into Thurlow Nunn League division one, along with bottom two Diss and Ely.

Instead, they beat Kirkley and Pakefield 1-0 the Saturday before last and stayed up at the expense of Wivenhoe Town.

Now the work starts in terms of ensuring the side are not involved in another relegation scrap next year.

“I can start talking to people now, because we know what division we’re going to be in next season,” said Coyle, whose side finished their premier division campaign with a 1-1 draw at Walsham-le-Willows on Saturday.

“There was no point in me having those conversations before, because we might have been in division one.

“Now we know we’re still the top team in the area and, along with Stanway, the top team within 20 miles.

“That opens up some opportunities for us to start looking at players for next year – players that might not have been available to us if we’d gone down.

“Then, on the other hand, I’ve just seen my team win five and draw two out of eight.

“That makes me wonder ‘do I need to change anything?’ “Why can’t we start like that next year? We’ve proved it’s possible and while there might be some better players out there, there might not be many that make the team better.

“We’ve got a good side at the moment – a team of players that want to be together, want to work hard and want to listen to what I say.”