CALUM MCINTYRE is already looking forward to the next National League North season.

Chester were unable to extend their campaign this time around as they missed out on securing qualification to the end-of-season play-offs.

On the back of this disappointment, team boss McIntyre is already planning for the next campaign.

In an update for supporters, McIntyre stressed: "We have a number of players who are already under contract for 2024/25 and this continuity is important as we look to the season ahead.

"With regards to our younger players, the relevant players have been offered contracts, some several months ago, in line with the deadlines to ensure the club are protected with regards to receiving training compensation.

"As a football department we have worked very hard to ensure that we act promptly within these deadlines to ensure that we will receive the right level of training compensation should any of those players aged under 23 decline the offer of a new contract.

"It is not always appropriate to broadcast those contract offers during the season but our supporters can have confidence that we have taken the right steps at the right times. We also have a number of players who have options in their contracts which the club have until mid-May to take up should we wish to extend their contract for another season.

"Conversations are underway with the players who are now out of contract at the end of the 2023/24 season. As a staff, over the previous two seasons we have been fortunate to work with hard working groups full of thoroughly decent human beings.

"As with every close season, there will be players leaving the football club and this process of seeing players depart is never enjoyable.

"These can be difficult conversations and the process of speaking to the existing first team group will continue over the next 10-14 days and we will issue a full retained list once this process is complete. We will not rush this as it is important that we conduct ourselves properly in dealing with our players."

Strengthening the squad is another important aspect and McIntyre added: "It is important we continually look to improve our squad.

"Much gets said about budgets and resource, but it is down to the manager to generate as much value as he possibly can within the limits of the playing budget and this is a challenge that I embrace entirely.

"Twelve months ago, we were in a position where we had finished third in the division, achieving our highest finish and points tally since being relegated in 2018. Our focus was on retaining as many of the core of that group as possible and adding in areas where we felt we needed to strengthen.

"I think it is important to note that of the five clubs that took part in last season’s play-offs and were not promoted, three failed to qualify this time around with one being relegated and another finishing just outside the relegation places. Generating back-to-back success is difficult and we have to look at the reasons why and ensure we are better placed this time around.

"We obviously lost our leading goalscorer (Kurt Willoughby), who earned a move to the division above. This would hit any team significantly and we felt that we had actually added some really positive forward options, however, we have only had our centre forwards available for 63 per cent of this season’s games, less than two thirds of the season.

"This summer presents an opportunity to look to improve the group and there has been some real work put in to ensure we have a recruitment model that works for us."