THE new management team at Bradford Park Avenue have vowed to ensure that the philosophy of their predecessor and mentor John Deacey will continue.

Deacey built his Horsfall sides around players with craft and insisted they played the game in an attacking and entertaining way.

He has left the club in the hands of two of his trusted lieutenants in Martin Drury and Jamie Price.

The outgoing Avenue boss appointed Drury as fitness coach early last season, following a career-ending injury, and elevated him to assistant manager after Mark Hulme decided to pursue his own managerial ambitions.

Deacey also handed Price his first step on the ladder by making him player-coach last season.

Price intends to keep himself registered as a player but, as part of the management, he is hoping to bring in players who keep him out of the team.

Drury said: "John always had the belief of playing good football and he's always had the team play good football.

"I think that's why we both enjoyed playing under John for so long because we like to play that way as well.

"It has been difficult over the last few years with the pitch and the players have preferred to be away from home, which can't be right.

"Playing on better pitches – sometimes in better grounds; big grounds – our players have thrived off that and enjoyed it.

"We hope to bring that feeling to our home games now and fingers crossed that will happen this season and continue in the future."

New club owner Gareth Roberts and his recently-appointed board of directors made the promise of delivering a good pitch as soon as they took over.

Work has now begun on improvements to the surface at Horsfall Stadium. It has been stripped and the drainage system will be upgraded before the flattening-off and reseeding work begins.

Price said: "Pitch improvements started on Sunday and we're not allowed on it until very late on at the end of July.

"It will be a very good surface next year and the plans are to improve it even more the following summer, so it's an ongoing process.

"That's good for us because it helps us bring in a certain calibre of player.

"We need a nice pitch to play nice football and Gareth has done whatever he can – he has put his money where his mouth is.

"He said he would sort out the pitch and he is doing. It was a necessity and he has been true to his word."