Most managers will be going away in the first week or two in June and I will be taking a break then too. That won't stop the work though because I am sure the phone will be ringing non-stop.

I have spoken to two players about joining Swindon Town, and spoken with a number of agents too. Players get paid until 30^th June so there is no rush on their  part. There are several factors involved in trying to attract a player to the club, with location and finance two key ones. Hopefully we will be in a good position on both of those fronts. The players I have spoken to have now gone away to speak to their agents and families before making a decision.

League One will be competitive again this year and there are some big clubs coming into the division. If clubs like MK Dons and Peterborough United want to come into the league and splash big money - then that's their prerogative. I would like to think that I can convince players to come here, given the direction this club is now going in. The likes of Simon Cox and Anthony McNamee joined us last season, and that's the type of player we want to bring to this club.

Sometimes the finances are secondary if the move is right for the player. I am happy that we can compete though; make no mistake about that. We know where we come in the rankings in terms of the money we pay and I am comfortable with that.

Jack Smith indicated to me before he left on holiday that he would be willing to sign his contract, but that won't be finalized until he comes back from the States. I am still looking for full-backs and if we can get a few bigger signings then that may help us as the season progresses.

Chris Blackburn has now moved on and it was the right move for him. I think the spell at Weymouth showed him just how much he enjoys playing. When he came back we had a few chats and it became clear that he would be looking for a move. The move to Aldershot was tied up pretty quickly and we wish him every success next season. He is happy, we are happy and it means I have a bit more money to go out and use somewhere else.

The Race to 6k seems to be progressing well and I understand the club have now passed the 1,000 mark, which is great news. Hopefully we can make The County Ground into a really tough place to go and play next season for away teams.

There is a lot of work going on around the stadium at the moment and it's good to see things developing. The point of interest for me is the pitch redevelopment. When I came to the club I remember the pitch being ruined for the Nottingham Forest game, and after that game it did suffer a bit. The club have been receptive to a few things we have asked for, one of those being for the pitch to be invested in and improved. Marcus Cassidy has now joined the club on a full-time basis, joining us from Sportsturf, and hopefully we will have one of the top surfaces in the division next season.

My job now is to build an exciting team to go and play on it...