Jay Saunders says it’s been a frustrating season for Tonbridge Angels.

They finished 14th in National League South after a 2-2 draw with St Albans last weekend.

Angels were five places and 12 points worse off than in Saunders’ first year at the club.

He’d hoped to kick on and push for the play-offs and felt he had the players to do it.

But he couldn’t get them on the pitch.

“The easiest way to describe this season is frustrating because when we had everyone available we’d give anyone a game,” said Saunders.

“Unfortunately it didn’t happen often enough.

“We went through it this week and we had nine different centre-back partnerships due to injuries.

“Only four players played over 30 games - everyone else was under 30 due to injuries - and that kind of tells you where we’re at. We just never had that consistency you need.

“The one that summed it up was Nathan Odokonyero.

“He’d scored nine goals in 13 games and we’d managed to keep him on loan from Ebbsfleet until the end of the season.

“Then he goes over on his hand at Hampton and has to have an operation, so we played the last month of the season without a forward. That’s just the way the season was.

“In the 12 or 13 years I’ve been managing, it’s probably the worst run I’ve ever known with injuries.

“I remember going to Weymouth with no forwards and our wingers out and getting a draw.

“The following week we played Bath at home and had the forwards back but the whole backline was out.

“There was a Saturday morning a month or so back when Nathan rang me and said he’d injured his ankle training at Ebbsfleet and couldn’t play.

“Ten minutes later, Sean Shields called and had been up all night with a wisdom tooth and couldn’t play.

“I don’t want to whinge and make excuses but any manager will tell you, when you’ve had success, it’s about consistency in selection and players building relationships on the pitch. We just haven’t had that.”

Given what Tonbridge have been up against with injuries, mid-table security is not to be sniffed at, however.

Particularly when the likes of Havant and Dartford - two teams expected to challenge for promotion - have been relegated.

“It doesn’t look like a success compared to last season when you look at the league table but from behind the scenes, when you’re working in it, you realise what a struggle it’s been,” said Saunders.

“We have to look at the positives and the positives are we comfortably finished in mid-table.

“Could we have finished higher? Yes, but if you look at the ones who are up there, most have had consistency with their squad or if not they’ve had a big enough squad to deal with injuries.

“To a degree, it’s been a success that we never got dragged into it down the bottom, especially when you look at the clubs who’ve gone down.

“Let’s be honest, if you flipped it and this was how we finished my first season, people would be saying it’s good progress from the season before when they stayed up on the last game.

“It was just the fact we did so well last year that expectations went up.

“I think the squad on paper was better this year but I never got to put it out there.”

Captain Scott Wagstaff and winger Sean Shields - runner-up to Jordan Higgs in the supporters’ player-of-the-year vote - have already agreed deals for next season.

Saunders hopes more will follow in the coming weeks.

“We’ve been speaking to the players and hopefully we’re close on one or two more,” he said.

“At this time of year it’s not always up to me. We want to re-sign players but some of the younger ones want full-time football and want to see what’s out there.

“At the end of the day, we’re a part-time club and we can’t compete with that.

“We had it with Devonte Aransibia last year when Maidstone came in. If players get the opportunity to go full-time, they’re going to take it.”