THE key attribute the Terras were sorely lacking in 2011/12 was leadership on the pitch, according to Brendon King.

The Weymouth boss feels his side need to become more streetwise to become a more competitive force in the Evo-Stik Southern Premier Division and he has already set about trying to make that happen.

Reflecting on last season, King said: “We had a dodgy start but we then picked up a few players and began to string some decent results together.

“We started to pick up points in the league and also enjoyed a great FA Trophy run and brought a few quid into the club through prize money.

“Unfortunately, we then went out of the competition to Alfreton Town, who battered us on the day, and mentally that seemed to take a lot of the wind out of our sails.

“Had we made more of a fist of it and only lost 2-1, I am convinced we would have probably kicked on from there but the fact we went down 6-0 really affected our confidence.

“From there-on-in, it became a bit of a struggle. We played a lot of good sides in a short space of time and had a lot of tough trips away from home, and in the end we didn’t secure our league status until the penultimate weekend of the season.

“It was very frustrating in many ways because at times we were outstanding but there was also a lot of dross too. That is why the key word I am looking for now is consistency.

“Looking back, we lost between 15 and 20 points from games where we were in winning positions and that is far too many.

“However, we did have a young and inexperienced side out and that is something we want to remedy this summer.

“It is clear we need to get some leaders in the team because we missed that really badly.

“We have already targeted three experienced players we want to bring in and two of them finished the season captaining their current clubs, so you can see what we are looking for.

“If we can get them, they will form the spine of the side and there is no doubt in my mind that they would help the others out and bring them along.

“You are always going to get some inconsistencies at this level because if we were excellent every week, people would be in for our players.

“The key is managing those inconsistencies and limiting them to a level where they do not have such a big impact on results and that is where those experienced heads can be invaluable.

“You cannot play well and win every week, sometimes you have to dig in and win ugly, and we didn’t do enough of that.

“You have got to be a bit adaptable too.

“When the pitches were good and we could get it down and play, at times we looked the real deal but when they were not so good we struggled and that needs to change.”

King also feels he needs a stronger squad. He added: “Injuries cost us as well last season.

“At Arlesey at the turn of the year our bench included Tom Manley, James Coutts, Jamie Beasley and Matt Groves with Ben Gerring sat in the stands.

“That was a strong squad and we knew if we kept that together we wouldn’t be far away but for one reason or another that didn’t work out for us in the second half of the campaign.

“By the end of the season we had to call up young players from the reserves and unfortunately what it meant was that the more senior ones knew they were guaranteed to start.

“The competition for places we had earlier in the season had gone and too many of them were in the comfort zone, and that is something we need to look at as well this summer.

“We need to try and have more strength in depth but with like everything that costs money, so we will just have to see what we can do.”

King agreed a new one-year contract with the Terras last weekend but he insists the club is very much a work in progress.

He concluded: “Everyone at the club is on a big learning curve – the players, the management and the board.

“We are all learning new stuff everyday and it is going to take time but as long as things keep improving year on year then I think we will all be happy. It is important to remain realistic too.

“Brackley won the league this year but it has taken them three years with the biggest budget in the division and some very experienced players to do it.

“A lot of their players have played at a much higher level and they certainly haven’t got anyone in their squad that has just made the massive step up from a standard like the Dorset Premier League.

“We cannot afford to go down the route they have, so instead we have to build gradually and I am sure some of the younger lads will be a lot stronger for the experience of the past year and will help us push on next season.”