IT has been a particularly busy week at the football club as we continue our efforts to get everything ready in advance of next season.

The recent announcements from the Welsh Government regarding outdoor events brings the prospect of large-scale crowds at the Racecourse tantalizingly close.

Wales has been leading the way in terms of vaccination and we are very hopeful that we will be able to welcome fans back in in great numbers when next season arrives. As previously stated, we want fans to return to a much-improved Racecourse.

The pitch will be dug up and new drainage laid starting on Monday, as we look to begin our stadium renovation plans.

The now-familiar LED boards will be properly laid in for the first time as they need to be buried into the pitchside track to be used to their optimal ability.

We are also looking to enlarge the playing area, so as to be able to play better host to some of our friends from other sports, particularly rugby, both League and Union, in the future.

This will allow for more spacious areas behind the try lines, so try-scorers don't slide directly into the Kop or the Turf car park, or wherever it is that rugby players don't want to end up sliding.

This has also been a week where we said farewell to Shaun Pearson, a great servant to the club and a beloved figure around the town. We were eager to keep Shaun as part of the team and had reached an agreement with him in pretty short order after the end of the season, but when familial connections come into play, it is hard to argue with his decision to move back to Grimsby.

We wish him almost all the best (excepting the two games against us next season!).

We also bid a fond farewell to Michael Oakes who has decided to move on after some years here as goalkeeping goach. We had offered Michael the chance to stay on with us, but he decided it was time for a fresh start and wanted to create space for the new manager to bring in his own staff.

Michael has done a great job in his role and played a great part in the development of our two excellent keepers, Rob Lainton and Christian Dibble.

We were delighted to have Rob and Christian re-sign for the club this week, as they are, to my mind the best goalkeeping pair in the division.

Our assessment of this season's squad rated them highly and securing their signatures was a top priority. The rest of the players on our retained list are currently considering contract offers from the club and we hope to have that situation resolved in the coming days.

As for new players, we will not be looking to sign anyone without input from the new manager. The process of finding our new manager is ongoing and I am very encouraged by the calibre of applicants. Finding the best person for the job is of paramount importance and we are leaving no stone unturned in our efforts to find them.

Finally, it was four months to the day, on Wednesday, since the takeover went through, so keep a look out for the Chairmen’s review of progress so far and aspirations for the future, which will be released on Friday.

Enjoy the Euros! Come on Wales. (And England. A bit.)