TERRAS’ boss Mark Molesley is “really pleased” with his summer business to date.
Molesley has so far convinced 10 players from last season’s squad to stay and has new targets imminently in the pipeline, at the time of writing.
Typically, Molesley has bided his time in the player market and will by definition not rush into any rash deals.
Lending his assessment of his activity in the market, Molesley appeared satisfied.
“All the ones I want to keep are there and we’ve done a couple of bits behind the scenes as well. It puts us in good stead," he told Echosport.
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“With the business we’ve done, we’ve almost got the skeleton of the squad together. That’s what you want going into pre-season.
“Then, it’s a case of putting a little more meat on the bones in pre-season. I’m really pleased with the lads we’ve got to sign.
“That’s the most important business, keeping the ones we want to keep and attracting a couple of others.”
Molesley also spoke of heightened local rivalry at Steps 2 and 3 adding: “It’s getting more and more difficult because there’s a lot of competition in the area now.
“There’s a big fight in the league below for teams trying to get up to our level with some strong teams and finances, let alone what we’re competing against (in Step 2).
“It’s always challenging and difficult, it’s definitely not getting any easier but it’s the same for everyone.
“What we’ve got is a way of working and a way we want to play and we’ve got a budget we’ll stick to and won’t go over because we don’t want the club to get in any more financial trouble.
“The chairman and board have done so well getting the club back on to an even keel again. We certainly don’t want to go down any old road.
“As always, the most important thing is that the players are here for the right reasons and they want to be here because they want to improve, play at this level and play for Weymouth Football Club.
“If a little bit more money down the road means they want to go, then they need to go, because we’re only surrounding ourselves with players who want to be at this club, want the demands we put on them and want to go up the levels.”
Taking the extra challenges into account, Molesley explained his circumstance means he must “think outside the box”.
“You’ve got to be really clever and shrewd in your recruitment and you’ve got to see things in players that maybe not others see,” he insisted.
“You’ve got to believe in your own environment and way of working. That’s what sets us apart, our fans, the way we work and train. It’s probably slightly different to everyone else.
“That will be for some players and won’t for some but we’ll stick to who we are and won’t change for anyone.
“You certainly do need to think outside the box.
“This isn’t new to us. In my previous spell at Weymouth this was exactly the same. We were competing with a lot of other clubs in and around who were showing more money.
“But, we managed to attract the right players by sticking to who we were and that stood us in good stead. That’s certainly what we’ve got to do now.
“We can’t be called into a Dutch auction with so many clubs and big resources. You can tell when you speak to a player what their intentions are.
“We have got a healthy budget but we’ve got to spend it wisely.”
And Molesley, as ever, was protective of the finer details but did hint at more fresh blood coming through the Terras’ doors.
He added: “It’s still ongoing, we’re speaking with players inside and outside.
“We’re slowly getting there bit by bit but it’s always more tricky. It’s not getting any easier with players’ demands and agents.
“You’re not just dealing with one person, you’re dealing with a lot of different scenarios and there’s a lot of noise being made by other clubs.
“We’re probably over-honest, it doesn’t do me any favours but that’s what I try and do, work as hard as I can for the players and try and be as honest as I can.
“I’d like to think in the long run that will serve us well.”
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