Club stalwart Jason Colli insists the player group which has been assembled for the approaching National Premier Leagues season is amongst the best of his career.   Colli has rubbed shoulders with some talented players during his thirteen years at Inglewood but, unfortunately, that hasn’t necessarily translated into trophy success.

To date, the solitary winners medal in Colli’s possession stems from the 2005 Night Series.   The versatile defender says that record of under-achievement is about to change following an active close-season recruitment drive which has brought Mark Pritchard, David Cyrus, Ashley Rosindale and Alex Dunn, amongst others, to Inglewood.

“It would have to be one of the best squads assembled in my time at the club,” Colli, a veteran of over 300 appearances for Inglewood, stated.   “We have brought in a lot of quality players boasting a lot of experience and instilling a winning culture, which will enable us to climb the ladder and hopefully bring a trophy or two to the club.”

“Compared to seasons past, the player group has clicked very quickly and there is a good comradery between the guys.   That is already flowing through to the pitch, where we’ve already shown we are going to be very difficult to beat this year.   There is a desire at the club to achieve and it’s our job as players to win some silverware.”

With around two dozen players vying for eleven match day places, Colli says the increased competition for spots will give Inglewood the edge over the opponents.   “There’s a lot more depth in the group,” he said.   “We’ve got a good balance to the squad, with some up-and-coming youngsters and players who’ve played at a very high level.”

“This has meant there is a lot of competition for places – you only have to look around at training to see no one is a certainty (to start).   That will push each one of us to be a better player, everyone knows they will really have to earn their place in the team and then to perform week in and week out to keep it.”