Tom Cunniff is excited to have a full pre-season with his squad as Wanderers Women aim to kick on next term.
Bolton finished third in their first campaign in tier five. Cunniff took charge of the side last October, initially on an interim basis before landing the position full-time.
Former skipper Katie Holt has returned after a stint at Wythenshawe, while Grace Vella, Lily Weston and Sophie Coward have also linked up with the squad.
“We were really pleased with the finish that we had, third, in our first season,” Cunniff told The Bolton News.
“We had high hopes at the start of the season to obviously compete and test ourselves after getting promoted, but obviously things happen within a season that are out of your control sometimes.
“To finish third behind (Mancunian) Unity, who are a very established side at that level, and obviously Fylde, who are levels above at the moment – they were two divisions above two seasons ago and they've got a similar squad. So we were really happy with our finish.
“We know we can do better, which is exciting, but it just gives us that momentum now, that baseline to push it further for next season.”
Cunniff is now eager to build on the momentum from last season as Bolton aim to be in the promotion mix.
“We were quite gutted that the season ended in terms of that momentum, but we also knew that everyone needed a rest,” he recalled. “Even the staff were very tired. It was a long, gruelling season.
“But we'd already planned pre-season before we'd even had a little break, in terms of what we wanted to try and achieve from a recruitment point of view.
“But also the players, I had players reach out to me after a week of a break saying, ‘Can we come back earlier?’
“So they're in the same boat, they want to kick on now. They want to take Bolton up the leagues and we're confident this year, with the momentum but also with the work we're doing in pre-season on the training ground already.”
Cunniff’s start as head coach was mainly focused on preparing for games, but now pre-season presents a chance to put his stamp on the squad and lay the building blocks for the upcoming campaign.
“It’s massive from a selfish point of view because I can plan it how I think we should do it,” he said. “Obviously, I was part of last season's pre-season but just being an assistant, you get some say in things.
“I've been very excited because I know how I like to do a pre-season. I know how to get the best out of players and what we need to work on.
“A big one for us last season was we didn't feel the squad was fit enough from the start really. We were playing catch-up ever since and it's hard to catch up on that during a season.
“So these first few weeks, we've gone a bit old-school and it's very fitness heavy. We came in early, but the players seem to have bought in massively. They're going home knowing they've worked really hard.”
“They're really pushing themselves more than I've ever seen some of the players push themselves, so really exciting for me,” Cunniff added.
“We've got a really good pre-season planned in terms of sessions and friendlies. There are a couple still to be confirmed, and then we’re hoping we'll be good to go for the middle of August.”
Wanderers Women recently announced a partnership with Daisy Hill that will see Cunniff’s side play their home matches at the Ginge Power Stadium, previously known as New Sirs, next season.
The head coach reckons that the move can have a big impact on and off the pitch, providing more of a community feel.
“When we went back to the Academy, it is amazing but that’s where we train. It didn’t feel like a full-on matchday for us,” he explained.
“So the partnership with Daisy Hill is really exciting because obviously it's going to be the home of Bolton Wanderers Women as well. There will be signage up, the girls will get to know the people who work there.
“We're hoping to have a bit of a community feel in the clubhouse after every game. We can start mingling with supporters a lot more than we could at the training ground.
“And it’s in Bolton, which is massive for us because you’re more likely to get Bolton fans coming to support.
“Daisy Hill have been fantastic with us and we’re really excited to start our season there and have our own home.
“The players are really excited. We’ve got some Angry Ginge fans in our team so they were absolutely buzzing when I told them the news!”
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