YOKER Athletic boss Gordon Robertson admits that his side need to sharpen up in the final third after rounding off their 2023/24 season last weekend.
The Whe Ho recorded an tenth-place finish in the Second Division of the West of Scotland Football League – a finish that Robbo ultimately described as “disappointing.”
The Holm Park side were amongst the lowest scorers in the division, finding the net just 39 times across 30 fixtures – which was just one more than bottom club Glasgow University and the second lowest across all teams.
Yoker were generally solid defensively as their goals conceded tally of 49 was only bettered by six sides.
Robbo admits the lack of goals it isn’t to blame on any one person and hopes to see the ball hit the back of the net more next season.
Speaking to the Post, he said: “It was a disappointing season from where we were at the start but the first job for a club is to make sure your position is secure in the division you are in.
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“We need to look to improve for next season, it was a wee bit of a roller coaster. There were some good moments in there but there wasn’t enough.
“We never scored enough goals and that’s the challenge for next season. We were sailing so close to the wind that any team who scored against us had a chance of taking something.
“It wasn’t down to one guy, just right across the team we had players who you would expect to score on the end of chances and not taking them and the challenge is to find a way of getting on the score sheet more often.
“I felt for a wee while that getting goals was the problem because there was no issue with how we defended – although one of the things we didn’t get right in the run-in was we were losing too many goals from set pieces.
“From open play we were defending bravely and working hard but we went through a spell where free-kicks and corners were causing us difficulty.
“It’s not satisfying to be looking over your shoulder when we should be looking up the way and that’s the challenge for next season.”
The players will now enjoy a month off ahead of their return for pre-season training on June 24, but the hard work continues for Robbo and his coaching staff.
The Yoker boss has been meeting with members of the squad and speaking to new players as he looks to bolster his ranks, and admits talks so far have been encouraging.
He added: “This week has been spent speaking to players from the squad and one or two who we are hoping to bring in. It’s been a busy time and I’m pleased with the progress we are making.
“I’m pleased with the progress we are making but the challenge is to be significantly better than we were last season.
“We’ll be back in for pre-season on June 24 with three or four friendlies and then we will be raring to go.
"It’s always an exciting time when everything is possible.”
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