Izak Reid tells Chris Burton that Morecambe's thoughts have already begun to turn towards next season.
As part of Sky Sports' League Two spotlight, Chris Burton catches up with Morecambe midfielder Izak Reid.
Comfortably clear of relegation trouble, but too far adrift of the frontrunners to stage a late promotion surge.
That is the situation facing Morecambe with seven games of the League Two season to come.
With little to play for between now and the end of the campaign, you could forgive the Shrimps for taking their foot off the gas and allowing their thoughts to wander towards summer holidays in far-flung corners of the globe.
Those inside the camp are determined to remain focused, though, with this no time for daydreaming.
For them, now is the time to put foundations down for next season, with it important for momentum to be carried into the summer break.
That is the view of midfielder Izak Reid, a man who told
Sky Sports' Chris Burton recently that Morecambe are reluctant to see their season fizzle out.
He said: "I wasn't at the club last year but the gaffer has said that we finished on 51 points, so it's just a case of bettering that and giving ourselves something to aim at again next season. The aim will then be to better that again and maybe creep into the play-offs.
"Where we are now is mainly down to our home form because we have been pretty inconsistent at home for one reason or another. If we can get that right for next season, then you never know what can happen."
Dodgy
Morecambe's current standing in 12th is a notable improvement on last season's 20th-place finish, but a bright start to the campaign has allowed thoughts of what might have been to creep in.
"I think everything was going for us at the beginning of the season and then we had a bit of a dodgy run where we didn't win for seven or eight games and everything that seemed to be coming off at the beginning of the season started going against us, I suppose our luck ran out," said Reid.
"We were dominating games but hitting the post or missing chances that earlier in the season were going in for us."
Consistency is key in a competitive League Two and Morecambe's failure to pick up back-to-back victories since August has held them back on a level playing field.
On the unpredictable nature of the division, Reid said: "It's probably summed up perfectly by the 6-0 win we had at home against Crawley, one of the favourites at the time. It's just a case of who can be the most consistent, as anybody can beat anybody on their day.
"I think we have got one of the better away league records, but it's just been our home form. If we can get that right then hopefully we will be there or thereabouts next season."
Taking small steps is very much the order of the day for Morecambe and in Jim Bentley they feel they have got the ideal manager to lead them into a brighter future.
Reid said: "The gaffer has been great in the fact that we have got nothing to play for but he wants us to finish well and hopefully beat the points tally from last season. We are on a par with that now, so we will then see where we can go next season.
"I had quite a few managers in my time at Macclesfield and he's by far one of the best that I have worked with. He's a people person and is great at giving you what you need. He's a good laugh as well, which comes from the fact that he was a player himself last season. He's definitely fun to be around."
Legend
Bentley has taken in a decade of service with Morecambe and his status as something of a club legend can only be beneficial to the Shrimps moving forward.
Reid said: "He is loved at Morecambe by the fans from what he has done there as a player, captaining the side. He knows the place inside and out and that's good for us because it means we can focus on the football side of things and enjoy the games."
Bentley played a big part in Reid's decision to sign for Morecambe last summer and he is happy with the decision he made in moving to the Lancashire coast.
He said: "It was definitely the right decision, I feel. I'm kicking myself on the goals front, I could have had a lot more and that it something I was trying to build on. At the beginning of the season I started really well, with a few assists, which was one of the main reasons for Jim bringing me into the club. Then I got a bit of an injury midway through Christmas time that kept me out for six or seven weeks. I'm just getting back into it now."
A change of scenery was what Reid was looking for in 2011, with the 24-year-old wary of growing stale in familiar surroundings at Macclesfield.
He said: "I had been there from the age of 15 until last season. It was just a case of making a fresh start and taking on a new challenge. It was a tweak in terms of position as well, because I spent most of my time at Macclesfield as a right-back but when I spoke to the gaffer he wanted to get me playing higher up the pitch. That was a nice thing to do as well."
Having made the move and settled into his new surroundings, Reid is convinced that he can form part of a side that will continue to move in the right direction in 2012/13.
He signed off by saying: "I think the gaffer has said that he is probably one or two bodies short of where he would like to have been but if he can get a few in, I don't see why not."
