Dergview player-manager Ivan Sproule is not satisfied with securing Championship survival and his challenged his players to push on for next season.
The Castlederg-based side have secured a remarkable eight wins in 11 league games under the former Northern Ireland international to pull away from relegation danger before the final day.
“Castlederg is a small area and is punching above its weight in the Championship, but we need the right mentality to keep that going,” Sproule told Match On Tuesday.
“This club has typically been in the lower divisions and we fostered a winning mentality in those divisions, so why not in the Championship?
Crusaders fan laughs off error after turning up for away game against Coleraine FIVE hours early
“We need to keep that attitude. Over the next weeks we will hope to tie down our players to new contracts and act quickly – these players realise this is a good club to be at.
“The players at this club are highly driven but they are happy with the standards we set and they thrive under them – ultimately our goal is to be in the top flight here, I’ll make no bones about it.
“I’m not going to rest on my laurels – our task this season was to avoid relegation but we will be looking to strengthen this summer and aim for the top six next season.
“Desire and commitment are the qualities I look for in all my players and with that we can go far.
“The boys weren’t talking about survival on Saturday – they were chat- ting about the final game at Loughgall – that is the winning mentality we have here that we want to continue into next season.”
Between September and December, the County Tyrone outfit lost an alarming 12 games in a row – prompting Sproule’s appointment in place of Peter Allen – and the boss has explained that the player’s mental strength has proven key.
“We knew it was a big challenge but the players have given us the perfect response,” continued Sproule.
Lavery brothers are toast of Derryhirk United as club lifts Foster Cup
“It’s an absolutely amazing run of form and that is the result of the hard work that is put in during training across the week – me and my coaches have left no stone unturned.
“The fans have come and sup- ported us every week – a lot of people thought we were dead and buried but nobody gave up the ghost and everyone had belief we could turn it around.
“My players accepted responsibility for their situation and didn’t blame anyone else – they knew they had gotten themselves into that position and needed to turn it around. We never looked at the table once during the run of fixtures – we knew we just needed to keep on winning and looking at other teams wouldn’t do us any good.”
Keep up-to-date with all the very latest news, what's on, sport and everything else in Belfast and beyond with the Belfast Live app.
Only select news that interests you by picking the topics you want to display on the app's homepage. Plus, our enhanced user experience includes live blogs, video, interactive maps and slick picture galleries. Download it now and get involved.
Click here to get it from the App Store or here for Google Play .
