Alan Devonshire thanks Upward and Barratt for their service to Maidenhead United – Photo 1 of 1

Maidenhead United boss Alan Devonshire has taken the chance to say a ‘big thank you’ to departing players Ryan Upward and Sam Barratt for the roles they’ve played in getting the club promoted and establishing it in the National League over the past few years.

The pair were two notable omissions from the club’s retained list for the 2023-24 season and in total 10 players are set to move on from York Road this summer.

Upward and Barratt were both with the club when Devonshire joined for a second spell as manager in 2015 and helped the Magpies to promotion from the National League South as champions in 2017.

Upward has been a key member of every squad the manager has put together since, while Barratt spent a couple of injury-plagued seasons in the football league with Southend United before returning to York Road in 2020. While Devonshire is sad to see both players leave, he just felt ‘it was time’.

Other players leaving this close season include defender Cole Kpekawa and midfielder Dan Sparkes, while Hungarian goalkeeper Dan Gyollai turned down a new contract offer, despite suffering a serious ACL knee injury while playing for Maidenhead against Southend United in February.

The Magpies are in the process of replacing these players and Devonshire says four new signings have already been made, with seven targeted before the season kicks off in August. The confirmed additions include central defender Kevin Lokko, an ‘experienced’ goalkeeper, and former Aldershot Town and Wealdstone defender Lewis Kinsella, whose signing was announced yesterday afternoon (Thursday).

Last season the Magpies’ fight for survival went down to the wire, with the club staying up by only two points from fourth from bottom Torquay United on the final day of the campaign.

Reflecting on the Barratt and Upward’s departure, the business they’ve done and the business they’d still like to do, Devonshire said: “They are two boys (Upward and Barratt) who I want to say a big thank you to. Ryan has been with me since I came back so I want to say a big thank you to him. He’s always done well for me, but I just felt it was time. Sam was the same. I want to thank all the players who are not here anymore, but I want to say thank you to those two more importantly. They’re great lads and I never had a problem with either of them. They’ve done well for the club.

He added: “I was always confident of keeping certain players. We finished two points above the relegation zone last season and it’s probably the closest we’ve been (to relegation) in the six years we’ve been in the division. It went down to the last game, so it’s getting harder. We’re trying to just slightly change things a little bit.

“Dan (Gyollai) was offered a deal, but he turned it down. Before the injury, Dan said he wanted to leave at the end of the season. But we still offered him a deal. We’ve signed a goalkeeper. We’ve signed three players so far and it will be four by next week.

“We let 10 go and we hope to get seven in. We’ve got four already. The proof will be in the pudding at the end of the day. We’ve got the smallest budget in the league, full stop. We’re the favourites to be relegated every season and this will be our seventh season in the National League.

“With Notts County and Wrexham out of it, people will think we have a chance now. I know for a fact that a couple of the smaller clubs are doubling their budget, because they feel they have a chance of going up. I’m afraid we’re not in that situation. Some clubs will have a go this year because of that.

“Our objective is to be halfway up the league, and then we’ll see where we are because it can go either way. At one stage this season we were top half and play-offs can then become an objective.”

“Our squad was big last year, but I don’t want it to be as big this season. I hope we’ll have more quality in there and then we’ll use the loan market if we have injuries.”