Saints can be a top half side next season - Gray

James Gray believes he has the squad to fight for a top half finish in next season’s Vanarama Conference South.

St Albans City have two games remaining and could finish as high as 11th in their first season back in the division after a three-year hiatus in the Southern League Premier Division.

It has been an inconsistent year for the Saints, highlighted by two excellent wins over Eastbourne Borough and Gosport Borough and their winless run in February.

“It has been a massive learning curve,” admitted Gray. “We’ve learned a lot recently. We’ve got players, even the experienced ones, who are still learning their trade.

“We’ve got the quality in the squad to do something, but we have to keep clean sheets first and foremost. Over the last four or five games, we’ve halved the number of chances given away compared to the six matches before.

The lads are learning and I’m really pleased with the way we’re finishing the season. We’ve got good confidence for the last two games, then the summer as we set about trying to do better next season.”

He added: “We’ve learned a hell of a lot this season. For the fans, they were probably panicking that we might get relegated; I never had that feeling; there’s too much quality here. I’ve been around long enough to know what we’ve got.

“This is a top half side at least. A couple of tweaks here and there and success might be around the corner.”