Attacking midfielder Jack Egan popped into the club last week to complete the formalities with his first contract offer and we managed to catch up with him to get his thoughts on an important year ahead.
“It was unbelievable when I found out I’d got a contract,” he admitted. “It was crazy, a really weird feeling, and I just wanted to run and tell my parents everything.
“I had no idea what was going to happen before I went in to get the news so there was a sense of relief afterwards. I just can’t wait to get started now.”
“I feel like I’ve learned a lot during the last two years,” he added. “The first year was tough because it was hard to get into the squad as a first year. There were always second years who were ahead of you.
“When you push on and become a second year you get more comfortable and confident which makes you perform better. Once you get more pitch time things start working out because you get more goals and assists, which then brings even more confidence. Hopefully I can take that into next season.
“I do feel like I really came into myself in the second half of last season. I think a lot of it with me is to do with confidence. In my first year I didn’t feel great because I wasn’t getting much game time. When you start getting belief from your team mates and your manager it does make a difference and everything just seemed to kick on from there.
“I was obviously really pleased to see Jordan [Holt], Cameron [Salkeld] and Morgan [Bacon] being involved in the squad and making a couple of appearances last season but I want to do better than everyone. I’m happy for everyone but I just want to do everything I can for myself and my family. Hopefully I can push on even further next season.”
Speaking more about the day the offer was made, he said: “I was really surprised I got the contract because I didn’t really get a chance with the first team compared to the other lads, in terms of making an appearance and being involved in the squad.
“I’d trained with the first team a few times but I still didn’t have a clue whether I was going to get a contract. It’s something I’ve always dreamed of so it probably would have felt like the end of the world if I hadn’t been given an offer.
“I don’t know what I’d have done. I think I’d have kept trying and maybe gone to a lower-league team, or something like that. I’d actually have played under-21 or anything to make sure I was still involved in football. Thankfully I’ve got the chance here.”
Next in line for the nippy wide man is pre-season training and the process of establishing himself in that first team squad.
“Pre-season will be difficult, I’m fully aware of that,” he said. “We were given a training plan off the youth staff before we left in May and Lee Fearn has given us another programme to do, which is the same as the other pro’s have been working on.
“We’ve obviously done pre-season twice with the first team, so we know what to expect. The last two years were difficult but this year it will probably be even harder. I’m just looking forward to getting on with it all now, to be honest."
“I have a lot of aims I want to achieve next season,” he concluded. “I want to make an appearance, which is the first thing, and I want to impress the gaffer and his staff around him.
“I also need to impress my teammates, get them believing in me and show them what I can do. As well as all of that I want to make my family proud.”