SOUTHERN Counties South rivals Oakmeadians and Wimborne are bullish about the future after going through experimental periods this season.
The Dorset clubs endured mixed fortunes after both adopted a policy of selecting youngsters as they attempted to find their feet following relegation during the previous campaign.
But despite finishing in the lower reaches of the league table, Oaks and Wimborne remain confident their respective methods will pay dividends when the new season starts in September.
Oakmeadians avoided a second consecutive demotion after finishing third from bottom following Saturday’s 54-29 defeat by play-off contenders Dorchester at Meyrick Park.
Although his team managed to register just six victories in the 22-match campaign, Oaks head coach Tom Drewett refused to get too downbeat following a transitional 18 months.
He told the Daily Echo: “We have blooded a lot of young players and we have lost a lot of senior players.
“We changed the culture of the club over the past 18 months and I think that led to lots of teething problems and people found out if Oakmeadians was the place they wanted to be.
“For me, the season was a success in the sense we were able to change the culture.
“The results on the field were frustrating in the sense that we could go from being very competitive and winning to being very poor and not showing the right kind of resolve, resilience and fight.
“That is a teething problem with young players – most of the players are under 21-or 22.
“It has been a tough season but I think we will be better for it in the long run. Looking ahead to next season, we need to recruit in a few areas and I think the experience we gained from this season will stand us in good stead.”
Meanwhile, Wimborne team manager Mark Sturney believes his club’s tinkering will pay off.
The Dorset outfit used no fewer than 64 players during their Southern Counties South campaign – which ended with a 38-7 away defeat against Corsham on Saturday. Wimborne claimed an eighth-place finish with 11 league wins.
Sturney, who will continue as boss next term, said: “We have had a season of consolidation after coming down from the higher league.
“We will have more competition for places next season. The second-team players will be knocking on the door and saying ‘find a good reason not to pick me’. That is certainly the way we would like to go.”
• Champions North Dorset finished with a 13-10 home loss at the hands of Frome.
Lowly Blandford, who managed just two wins all season, suffered an 89-12 defeat at Devizes.
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