Kee planning for next season

INSTITUTE’S Head of Development Paul Kee is hoping to end the season with a win at Warrenpoint Town, this Saturday (KO 3pm).

The Drumahoe club are currently sitting in fourth place in Championship One but they are on the same amount of points as third placed Bangor and Kee is looking to better the Seasiders’ result this weekend to leap frog them.

“It’s the last game of the season and we want to finish with a bang,” added Kee.

“We know now that we’re five or six wins away from where we should be so we will be looking to learn from our experiences. There are factors to be considered of course.

“One of the bad defeats we had which didn’t do us any favours was the Limavady match where we found out there would be a big cut in wages and a change in the club’s policy. We have to learn from the three match losing run. If you want to sustain a Championship push you have to bounce back in the next game.

“But we’re learning and we’ll keep evolving. We’re hoping to keep the vast majority of players. That’s the plan.”

Kee is already having one eye on next season and believes finishing in third spot would be the perfect platform for the 2012/13 campaign.

“There will be new players coming in and there might be one or two going out,” insisted Kee.

“The players are looking forward to the end of season trip away to Portugal and they are looking forward to the dinner dance and the presentation. They’re just winding down now but we want to finish as high as we can. It’s between us and Bangor now for third so I want to go to Warrenpoint and I want us to give a good account of ourselves.

“We’ve got a certain budget so we have to get players in that category. It’s getting players with enough ambition, drive and character and who wants to do well for themselves and the team. The character of the team is still improving.

“That was one of the problems I saw when I arrived last year. It’s OK wanting to play but it’s how you deal with that in your training and how you react to a setback when you’re left out. There have been players who have been left out this year who have spat the dummy out. But we have a unit there now who care about what they’re doing and they are setting high standards.

“I think Paddy McLaughlin epitomises that. He’s the captain and he deserves to be. He tries to stay consistent and he tries to do things right and he prepares properly. The game is just the final act. It’s what you do the other six days a week and he epitomises that. So it doesn’t matter if they’re young or old players coming in.”

The Waterside man also is hoping the Riverside Stadium and the training sessions will mean that experienced players will want to take a drop in wages and come and join ’Stute.

“There are plenty of experienced players floating about but whether or not they’re prepared to sacrifice two nights a week and a Saturday for a low wage remains to be seen. I’m asking for a big commitment.

“Plenty of players have come to the club for the money and got the money and left. But we have a nucleus of five or six players there and we want to add another four or five. The benchmark is this year and we’ll build on that.

“I’d like to think with the location, the population, the players that are available, the facilities, and the package that is presented to players in terms of their training I’d like to think we could attract a decent player and that’s what we will be trying to do.”