‘Big decisions’ looming as Brackley Town step up recruitment drive ahead of 2026/27 opener

The Saints have one more pre-season friendly to go (at home to Maidenhead this Saturday, August 1) and the squad size currently stands at only 13.

Of those, 11 are new players with just Matt Lowe and Kyle Morrison staying around following last season’s relegation from the National League.

It hasn’t been a straightforward process for Brackley’s new head of recruitment, Joe Taylor, who has focused on signing top targets rather than rushing in additions.

“We’re working tirelessly, all of us together, to get the right ones in,” Taylor told @BrackleyTownFC.

“We’ve had offers out for priority targets for a couple of weeks now and I think it’s going to be the time to make big decisions, because we can’t leave it too long.

“A couple of lads we’ve put offers out for are trialling with league clubs, so they’re waiting on that. But we’re still keeping the dialogue up with the players we want in.”

Brackley are keen to bring in four or five more new signings and then Whing can bed in some youngsters to complete his squad.

Although the confirmed total of new signings still stands at 11, it appears that a twelfth, unannounced arrival is on the horizon.

When asked how he would rate the summer so far, Taylor added: “I think it would be probably an eight or a nine.

“I’m extremely happy with the group we’ve got in. Although there are only 12 players signed, it’s 12 players we wanted and were top of the list.

“Watching the team in training and at games, there have been so many positives. It’s extremely difficult building a new squad, it just doesn’t happen overnight.

“You want it to happen quickly but it’s simply not possible. Where most teams are building with five or six players over the summer, for us it’s 15 or 16.

“But we’ve got our number-one targets all over the pitch, and that rarely happens. So it’s pleasing but frustrating that we haven’t got a couple more in.

“We’ll just keeping plugging away, making sure we are doing the right things.”

Once the season begins, the job for Taylor and fellow recruitment chief Gareth Dean will be to build up a database of players across non-league, as well as under-21 level.

The idea is to generate personal reports on players and possible targets ahead of time, so Brackley can edge in front of the competition.

Taylor and Dean will also head out to write up reports on opponents, giving manager Whing a good idea of what to expect so he can tweak his tactics accordingly.

These processes are standard practice for full-time professional clubs, but not for most teams at this level.

Regardless of how long it has taken for Brackley to undergo their summer overhaul, initial signs suggest that it’s a step in the right direction.