PLANS are already in place to ensure Aldershot Town are in a strong position to start next season’s campaign – but boss Danny Searle is fully focused on National League survival first.

Searle took over the hotseat at the EBB Stadium last May in the wake of Gary Waddock’s departure but had an anxious wait to see whether the Shots would be playing in the National League or National League South after Gateshead’s financial collapse.

Despite finishing in the bottom four, Aldershot were ultimately reprieved as only three sides were relegated, but it left Searle seriously short of time to prepare for the current campaign.

“We’ll be in a completely different situation next season,” he said. “This season we have literally had to throw everything together.

“We’ve had issues with training facilities, we’ve had issues with trying to get games on, but we’ve already planned and mapped out what we want next season to look like. We’ve already planned out what we want pre-season to look like, and we didn’t have that luxury this season.

“It’s in our hands if we are going to be in the National League next season or not – and I’m 100 per cent confident that we will be. Everything’s within our control, last season it wasn’t.”

He added: “When I came into the club we only had one friendly guaranteed and everything was last minute and hard.

“With the new season coming, although we are not trying to look forward too much, everything has been mapped out how we want it to look. We’ve got a foundation in place that we can work on.”

That foundation may well be boosted further with strong rumours emanating that only three sides will again be relegated from the National League – following Bury’s expulsion from the Football League in August – which would give the Shots, who currently sit 16th six points above the drop zone with ten games to play, yet more breathing space.

That, of course, is a matter for the powers that be to decide on, but Searle has insisted he is leaving nothing to chance.

“Everyone you speak to says there will only be three teams going down and everyone is so matter of fact about it,” he said, “but having been on the end of having to wait until the National League AGM last season, are we in the league, are we not, until that document or statement comes out from the league, in my opinion four teams are going down and that is what we need to make sure we are working toward.

“If it ends up being three, then so be it, but the easiest way to nullify any of those issues is to make sure we are nowhere near the bottom four.”