CARL Heeley has hailed Worcester City’s 2014/15 campaign as his ‘most memorable’.
The Blue and Whites boss has worked wonders once more and has overseen his exiled squad finishing in ninth in Conference North, beat Coventry City at the Ricoh Arena in one of the greatest FA Cup shocks in history and only just fall short in the second round following a record-breaking penalty shoot-out defeat to Scunthorpe United.
And, even losing several key players along the way – George Williams, Graham Hutchison and Wayne Thomas – there were long periods of their Conference North season which saw City flirting with the play-offs.
Injuries to Danny Jackman and Connor Gater, coupled with a dip in form at the turn of the year, eventually cut short any top five dreams, but Heeley said he will not be forgetting the campaign in a hurry.
“This season has certainly been the most memorable I have been involved with in football,” he said. “We will all look back on some really fond memories.
“I think we have been victims of our own success in losing our best players, because they have been put in the spotlight and have done exceptionally well, but we try to look at that as a positive and people and players will look at us and our track record of moving players on and hopefully that will help us with our recruitment drive through the summer.
“That group of players have had to overcome lots of obstacles all season, it has been really enjoyable and they have been a credit to the football club.”
Heeley also reserved praise for Jacob Rowe, who had to play second fiddle to Hutchison and Thomas at the start of the season, but the centre half has forged a commanding partnership with recent signing Anthony Charles at the heart of an ever-reliable Worcester rearguard.
“Jacob Rowe is a bread and butter centre half,” Heeley added. “You know what you are going to get out of him every single week, seven or eight out of ten.
“He does his job and competes and rarely has a game where you think he has had a nightmare.
“He is always steady and he never lets you down and they are the type of characters you want in your squad.”