Keeping Shaun Jeffers 'a massive signing' for St Albans City says Allinson

The top scorer was touted as a possible departure from Clarence Park, and there were approaches, but he has now agreed a deal to extend his stay.

Allinson said: "We could have quite easily lost Shaun but the way both parties handled it was correct.

"There was no pressure from us. We made an offer to Shaun back in March and we spoke to him at the end of the season but I told him to go away and have a break.

"He spoke to a few clubs but I feel the way the staff, the players and the supporters have taken him to their hearts played a big part in him staying.

"He’s certainly been a big player and it is a massive signing because you can’t look past those 34 goals last year."

St Albans City's Shaun Jeffers battles with Josh Rodrigues of Harpenden Town. (Image: Toby Howe)

The boss kept a lot of his squad from last season with only four new faces brought, and he paraded most of them in their opening pre-season win at Harpenden Town.

But he is happy with what he has got at his disposal.

He said: "Some of the new lads we brought on showed that we have brought some good footballers to the club.

"We have to get them to gel together now. We have got some tough games coming up, we know that, but it was nice to get a game under our belts.

"I didn’t think we were poor [last year] but we’ve added three midfielders because that was an area where we were slightly weak, we didn’t have the depth of cover."

One of those players retained is Liam Sole and Allinson is determined he is going to get the rough diamond shining.

The boss said: "As I’ve said all along, there’s a player in there and we have to try and find the Liam Sole that can turn games on its head like he does in training.

"Hopefully he’ll get more of a run this year than he did last year but at 21, he is worth persisting with.

"We need more goals from Zane Banton and losing Johnny Goddard was a blow but they way he handled himself and the way he did it was fantastic.

"He made us all aware of what he was doing and keeping him in touch."

St Albans City manager Ian Allinson (right) with assistant Chris Winton. (Image: Toby Howe)

That though should be it for now in terms of transfers, with the Saints boss looking to consolidate what he has.

"We just have to settle things down," he said.

"We probably need another defender but we’re still talking to Tom Bender and we’ll see where we are with that one.

"He’s got a slight strain at the moment so there was no chance of him playing tonight.

"David Noble will go into the coaching team but as you saw when he came on, he keeps things ticking over.

"Just having him still around and doing the coaching he has been doing in the last two weeks, everyone has really enjoyed it.

"We still want to develop players and bring the young players through but we have to do it the right way.

"The main priority at the minute is to get the squad as fit as we can.

"We have a 19, 20-man squad but with the weather being like it is, I’ll probably bring a few more [youngsters] in against Stevenage just so we can do two 11s.

"The welfare of the players is the most important thing so we’ve brought the kick-off forward to 1pm.

"We don’t want to be ruining them at this stage of the season."