Garstang FC's potential squad excites Riversiders' boss

The Riversiders’ boss took over after a difficult first month of last season culminated in the departure of former manager Andy Payton.

Cookney performed squad surgery throughout the campaign and had lifted the club into 15th place when the North West Counties League First Division North season ended early as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

It means new – and familiar – faces may be set to turn out for the club next season.

“I think we’ve lost one lad who is moving on and I think a couple might be retiring,” Cookney said.

“We’re bringing in seven new, top quality lads and we’ve tried to bring a lot of the old Garstang lads back.”

While Cookney wasn’t in a position to name those players publicly, he did reveal that keeper Will Kitchen had turned down offers to go elsewhere.

He was one constant at the Riverside last season, enhancing his reputation as one of the best shot-stoppers in the division.

“Kitch has had quite a lot of offers so we’re quite happy he’s staying,” the manager said.

“He’s given me a verbal commitment; he’s had an offer from Nelson who doubled what we were going to give him but he said he wasn’t interested.

“We’re keeping a lot of the lads we brought in but we’re also bringing in a couple from higher leagues.”

As well as strengthening on the pitch, Cookney has also been involved with improvements off it.

Football’s lockdown has meant plenty of free time which has been spent, among other tasks, pitching in at the ground.

He said: “The ground’s had lots of work done on it.

“Everyone’s been down and repainted the barriers around the club, little jobs like that. It’s meant the club has pulled together and it’s helped bring the lads together as well.”