Pat Rayment has promised a massive summer revamp after seeing his Spalding United side miss out on the Evo-Stik League First Division South play-offs.
The Tulips were soundly beaten 3-0 at Romulus on Saturday, with goals from Joel Grandison (25 and 89) and Jordan Francis (86) doing the damage at Coles Lane.
That allowed Sutton Coldfield and Gresley to take the play-off positions – although Stafford Rangers’ 1-0 win over the latter meant that a Spalding win would have been enough for fifth place.
Rayment, who saw his side finish seventh, admits that the Tulips have made massive strides as a club this season. But he is angry with the way they tailed off at the business end of the campaign.
The former Peterborough United professional only wants to retain up to nine of this season’s squad – meaning there will be busy summer ahead at the Sir Halley Stewart Playing Field.
“Saturday was more about hope than expectancy,” admitted Rayment. “If truth be told, I had no real confidence that we’d go to Romulus and get a result.
“This has been a new experience for me. I can’t ever remember seeing a team, be it as a player or a manager, capitulate like we have during the final four games of the season.
“The performances have been abject and abysmal. We just haven’t looked like scoring. I’m almost glad that we’ve not made the play-offs, as we’ve saved ourselves a lot of embarrassment.
“People have been asking me why I’m so downbeat on the team. It’s fair to say that being one game away from the play-offs does represent a good season.
“We’ve made great strides as a club this season. But I’ve been absolutely shell-shocked by the recent performances.
“Obviously you have to look at yourself as a manager and wonder if you’ve done things wrong. Maybe Marcus Ebdon and I have put too much trust in the players this season – and I feel like a lot of them have let us down.
“It’s well known that we pay the best wages around this area, we make no secret of that. Sadly, we’ve just not got value for money.
“There will be a clear-out, that’s not just me saying it after a few bad results. As I speak now, I think maybe as many as nine players will be invited back to pre-season.
“That would give us scope to add anything from eight to ten players.
“We’re going to change the entire blueprint. The gravy train at Spalding United is closing its doors.
“We want to add more pace to the team and bring in younger, hungrier players.
“Don’t get me wrong, there have been some players that have been a credit to themselves.
“Tom Waumsley has been a shining beacon for us, while Nathan Stainfield has been a real warrior despite injury.
“Adam Jackson, Mitch Griffiths and Jamie Stevens have all been superb stepping up to this standard too. But too many others have let themselves and the club down.”
Saturday’s game saw Romulus pull the strings almost throughout – and they could have won by a greater margin but for some sterling work by Jackson, Stevens and Chris Hall, as well as excellent keeping by Michael Duggan.
Grandison’s opener on 24 minutes was the least the hosts deserved at half time.
They could – and perhaps should – have extended their lead early in the second half.
But their profligacy allowed Spalding to come back into it late on – and Matt Nolan thought he’d levelled on 84 minutes only for the offside flag to halt his celebrations.
Two minutes later it was game over as Romulus extended their lead with a superb strike by substitute Jordan Francis. They then rubbed salt into the wounds with Grandison notching his second in added time.
The next game for the Tulips is scheduled for Friday, July 17 (7.45pm) against Stamford at the Sir Halley Stewart Field in the newly-revamped Lincs FA Senior Trophy.
You’d expect that the line-up that takes to the field in a few months’ time will be drastically different to the one that trudged off on Saturday.
Tulips: Duggan, Griffiths, Jackson, Stevens, Leary, McGovern, Beeson, Hall, Waumsley (Nolan 52), Vieira (Webb 52), J Thurlbourne. Not used: G Stainfield, Adams, Pycock.
MOTM: Jackson and Duggan (shared).
Attendance: 81.
