Brakes boss Paul Holleran describes the National League North as like an 'old League Two' in an interview in The Non-League Paper. 'We are aware we are a small club, but we are run very well and have a fantastic fanbase, so we have to try and be competitive. It's a strong league with some fantastic clubs.'
Talking about the relegation back to the Southern League after two seasons in the Conference North, Holleran said: 'It's such a tough division - some good sides get stuck at that level by just missing out on the one promotion spot - so it was such a blow to be back at that level. We all looked at ourselves after being relegated, and to be honest I was ready to hang up my boots, but after 17 or 18 years in management I didn't want to end on my only relegation.'
Holleran puts the club's relegation down to his own inexperience and the club losing some of its key players, but this year confidence and experience is far higher going into the season. 'We will need to be at it from the word go. We don't have massive squad depth, so we need all our players to be at their best for every minute. We have to make sure we are competitive and reach 45/48 points as quickly as possible.'