After narrowly missing out on the SCEFL Premier play-offs last season, Punjab United will be looking to go one better when the new season starts on July 27. 

For boss Chipie Sian, the progress and the growth of the Club is amazing, and he has been talking with KSN this week about his hopes for the new season and has even admitted regrets to the way that their campaign fell away towards the end around Easter. 

“Every year gets harder to be honest, especially when other teams do what they’re doing” he stated.

“We are biding our time, last year was fantastic, but the year before was even better when we won the Senior Trophy. We bedded in and in truth I was disappointed last year when we fell off towards the end.

“We had four games in hand at one point and if we had won three of the four, we would have been in the play-offs – that is how close we were. A lot of teams were worried about us rather than other teams. So, it shows you just how far we have come as a Club.” 

“I have always said that if we can get the right side and the right caliber of players, we cannot go and pay the best of money like other Clubs can. We must go and find the right player, and slowly and slowing we are doing that. Last year we included four youngsters from the under 23s and they were unbelievable – these players are still growing and are living off every word you say.” 

“What we achieved last year did surprise me,” the Punjab boss then admitted.

“We started off by developing a little bit, but I made a big mistake last year. On the signing deadline day of March 31, I could have brought in some players who were not getting game time at their Clubs, they were experienced players, but I stuck with my youth, as I couldn’t drop them for the last four or five weeks of the season, I just could not do it!

“In the end, a couple got injured and caught us out! But I said it was a mistake, but I do not really believe that as I stuck with the youngsters and that is what I believe in!” 

“It was part of the massive learning curve which as a manager you are learning every year, no one is perfect, mistakes are made, it happens! But you make a lot of good decisions too and you keep going – managers always must live or die on the decisions that they make and that’s football!” 

“The right two sides did get promoted last season. Deal and Erith were good sides with good managers, with good people at both Clubs. I thought Faversham were unlucky especially after we played them last game of the season and I honestly though “Wow!” – they had that little bit of quality but sometimes in football you do need more than that especially in the play offs.

“I still believe that if we had had made the post season, we would beaten anyone! Four games in hand and I believed that we could do it, but we just did not have the firepower in the end!” 

Looking ahead to the new SCEFL season which is only three weeks away now – the League starts on July 27 and we asked the Punjab boss who he thought would be the teams that his Punjab side would have to get in front of to reach their goal.

“I think it will be very similar to last year. Faversham will probably be the favourites again – I think they have to be! I like Tommy (Warrilow) and he’s made some good signings, but you still have to buy the right player, which he is trying to do.

“Corinthian have lost a few players I understand but they will always be a good side and they too were unlucky again. Hollands & Blair are making a lot of signings, Snodland have a new boss. It is going to be a tough top five to break into.” 

“Can we do better than last year? Yes, I think we can; can we get to the play-offs? That might be too far but who knows? It all depends on how the squad develops… We cannot wait to get going, and we have to use the pre-season games to get the squad right which is the main thing now!”