ROB Small says keeping together the core of the Bowers & Pitsea team was hugely important after five key players agreed to remain at the club for the 2018/19 season.

Bowers were defeated in the Isthmian North play-off semi-final last season after an excellent campaign in which they narrowly missed out on automatic promotion.

But Small has managed to retain the services of the club’s all-time record goalscorer Lewis Manor, captain Martyn Stokes and midfield trio Jamie Dicks, Ben Sartain and Callum Leahy.

And Small says he is pleased at the current state of play, although goalkeeper Callum Chafer has secured a move to last season’s Isthmian North champions AFC Hornchurch.

“Our priority was to keep this group of players together and build on the strong season we had,” said the Bowers chief.

“There was an overwhelming feeling of disappointment about how it ended but also a resounding determination to have another go and do that together.

“If we can start by keeping the current group together then we are starting from a good foundation.

“This is the next generation spine. From the moment I arrived we built the team around a group of players and over time it has evolved.

“Lewis remains but others have joined along the way.

“Sartain, Leahy and Stokes will enter their third season with us this year and that continuity is very important. It exudes confidence that this is a happy place to be, which it is.

“There is a sense of internal optimism.

“In terms of getting the players to sign it has been fairly straight forward. We all had brief conversations at the end of the season and they went well.

“It was an emotional time then but we agreed we would take a step back at the time and I spoke to them down the line.

“I always felt the players were going to stay and once budgets were outlined we made offers to these players.

“These are the first five players to sign and I am in talks with the rest of the players but we have to iron out a few things.”

And Small believes he will not be too busy in the close season in terms of transfers, with just several key targets identified.

“I am looking but it has to be the right players on the right deal,” he said.

“The market at the moment is a strange one and some clubs want to keep their options open but prices are inflated at the moment.

“Our focus must be on slowly building and doing things strategically. We have two or three key targets and I want to invest my energy in them as opposed to using a scatter gun approach.”