ANDY MORRISON is ready for the "great challenge" of helping Connah's Quay Nomads improve on a record-breaking 2018/19 season.

Nomads set new milestones across the board, securing their joint-best ever Welsh Premier League finish with a record amount of points in the 32-game format and goals scored in any top-flight campaign to push eventual winners The New Saints all the way.

Add to that, runners-up spots in both the Welsh Cup and Scottish Challenge Cup - where Nomads became the first team outside of Scotland to reach the final - and a last four League Cup run, and the future looks bright.

But the noises coming out of Nomads are those of a budget cut - and quite a significant one at that - which would severely hamper hopes of going toe-to-toe with TNS once again.

Indeed, the club's retained list makes interesting reading with John Danby, Jonny Spittle, Ryan Wignall, Andy Owens, Michael Parker, Rob Hughes, Jake Phillips, Jon Rushton and Dominic McHugh all departing the Deeside Stadium.

That leaves Nomads with just 13 senior players at present, including the largely inexperienced trio of Lewis Brass, Priestley Farquharson and Conor Harwood.

The early indications are that there will be no new faces arriving o increase the player pool available to the Nomads' coaching staff, youngsters Tom Weir and Jacob Barratt set for promotion from the Under-19s.

However, Morrison is not one for backing away from a challenge and he's ready to roll his sleeves up and get down to work in order to make Nomads as competitive as ever.

Morrison said: "If you don't win the league then it's tough to keep a competitive budget going forward. I've been hugely appreciative of the input and financial backing I've had.

"It's always good to challenge yourself and I'm certainly looking forward to doing just that.

"After competing right to the very end in four competitions this season I want to do it again, but that will be dependant on keeping everyone fit and healthy.

"With 13 senior players and no injuries or suspensions the goal, like with every team, is to finish in the top-six. But two or three injuries would change everything because it will probably be the smallest pool of senior players in the league."

Morrison's plans for the 2018/19 campaign were dealt a blow when he lost three members - Kai Edwards, Mike Pearson and Sean Smith - of a water-tight back four.

But the 48-year-old made a mockery of those losses by masterminding a remarkable campaign.

"We have had an incredible season," said Morrison. "We've broken records, created history and all of the players have been fantastic.

"We've all worked so hard going back to June 1 last year and I'm ready to do the same again with Europe coming around quickly."

Nomads’ Michael Bakare will compete with TNS trio Jamie Mullan, Greg Draper and Aeron Edwards for the league’s Player of the Season award.