JOHNNY Haseldin loved having time away from football over the summer months.

However, there's not been much of a break for the Holywell Town boss as he is busy plotting another positive Cymru North season.

After a slow start last time out, the Wellmen came out roaring from the autumn onwards and they eventually achieved a brilliant fourth-placed finish.

Crowds were drawn to Halkyn Road in their hundreds and Haseldin said: "We made huge strides last year and crowds went up from 180 to 400-plus.

"There's affection between the players and supporters and that's something we want to try and keep pushing.

On the supporters, Haseldin added: "We hope they keep coming and they were definitely a motivation."

As things stand, it's two out and one in as far as Holywell are concerned.

Dylan Allshorn has moved to Cymru North rivals Colwyn Bay and Ben Brierly has also left, but on the flip-side, Tom Bibby has signed for the forthcoming campaign.

Speaking to the club's Twitter page, Bibby said: "It's a special club.

"I think from the moment I got here, it felt like home.

"I'm a local lad and the manager, the players, they welcomed me with open arms and you get that feeling when you play for a team, lads will do a lot for each other out on that pitch, so it was a no-brainer really."

Praising the Holywell faithful, Bibby stressed: "The fans play a big part.

"They travel with us, home and away. They encourage us.

"They are the 12th man, so I'm really happy with the support."

While the Wellmen secured a top-four finish last time out, Bibby said it was vital for the club to now push on.

"We had our best finish in a long time here at Holywell and that's not the end," he added.

"That's not where we want to see ourselves.

"We want to see ourselves pushing on from there so I'm happy to be a part of that... and push this great club forward."

Likely for the coming season will be a revamp of the club's successful reserve team.

Holywell's second string won their league last season, however manager Karl Bacon has opted to step down from his role.

For the new campaign, that team will come under a Holywell development heading, said Haseldin.

"We want to keep the nucleus of the younger lads," he said.

"We're going to try to keep al the good younger lads that were here, to progress players through to the first team.

"That's something we're working hard on behind the scenes."

Holywell's first pre-season friendly is at home to Ashville on June 25 (2.30pm).