Eastbourne Borough boss has two big hopes for his club in 2020-21 season

With football gradually returning and hopes growing that the new non-league season may start in September, the Priory Lane boss has outlined his hopes for the 2020-21 campaign.

He told me: “My ambition is to have a united club with plenty of fan engagement.

“Of course, it goes without saying I want to win as many games as possible. But I also want our supporters to have the chance to watch a competitive team of players who work exceptionally hard and show a togetherness and unity with the loyal fans of the club.”

Bloor has been manager of Borough since last November, when Lee Bradbury moved on, and had been assistant manager under previous regimes.

He says he will not stand for sub-standard performances like the one that saw the Sports lose 4-0 at Dorking Wanderers on Boxing Day last season.

He said: “I think the players know that while I am manager, there will be some non-negotiables when playing under me.”

Asked to expand on what he meant by ‘non-negotiables’ he said: “Well, if we go back, Dorking away on Boxing Day was a watershed moment.

“There was a massive turnaround after that and we made some collective changes that I intend to carry into next season and beyond.

“For example, there’s a number of players at all levels that run when the team is going forward but will not run when the team is defending.

“That won’t suffice for an Eastbourne Borough team I am in charge of.

“If players make a technical mistake or give the ball away, I won’t moan. All I ask is that players run in both directions, that they are 100 per cent committed and want to work hard for the club and fans.”

As a player, I know that to play that style of football you need to be fit, so I asked the boss about his thoughts regarding a return to pre-season.

He said: “Luckily, players are not like they were 15 to 20 years ago; players these days have their own personal pride and will not allow themselves to return to pre-season unfit. So, when we return, we will get on with the job and adapt.

“But ultimately, we need a minimum of four to five weeks to get everyone firing on all cylinders.”

Bloor expects some new faces in the squad for what will be another testing National South season but none has been secured yet.

Some of last season’s squad are expected to return for another campaign.

Bloor said: “In terms of signings, we are having constant conversations and we will continue to. Rest assured, once things are confirmed, we will deliver news to the fans of the club as soon as we can, and I am hopeful this will be in the coming weeks.”