A SENSE of familiarity is set to descend over Oxley Vale Attunga ahead of the 2020 Premier League season.
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Tim Coates is set to return as head coach of the Mushies, after sitting out of the 2019 season.
The break allowed Coates to lend a hand to Northern Inland Football's referees as a mentor.
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However, little is stopping the former Premier League-winning coach from taking his side to the top once more.
"The club has identified a top-two finish in the southern conference as a goal for this season," Coates said.
"We will have a bit of an older side, but with that comes the knowledge that all of the players know what they need to do.
"If they focus on doing what they need to do, then we should be very competitive."
Coates said the Mushies side could look quite different this season.
"It looks as though we will be without Jack Diebold, because he is off to university," he said.
"However, we will welcome back Ben Genardini this year, which is exciting.
"Ben has been a very talented player for us in the past and, more recently, has been playing representative Oztag.
"Hopefully with a bit of pre-season training, he will get back in the swing of it very quickly."
The Mushies will make up part of the new Premier League structure, which will include a mixture of existing teams and Tamworth first-grade clubs.
"It's going to a very interesting season, that's for sure," Coates said.
"I think it's slated to be a 14-game season, which is one of the shortest seasons I can remember for a few years.
"We're currently waiting on the draw of the FFA Cup to get an idea of when our pre-season training will really ramp up.
"Once that fixture is out, we will have a far better idea of when we will really start to hit the training track and focus on the year ahead."
Coates said he was "focused rather than excited" for the new season.
"The older you get, the less you think about emotions before heading into a new season," he said.
"I think with the experience and talent we have on offer this year, we could go very far.
"If we all focus on what we all need to do, within our roles, I'm sure we will be successful."
Billy Jupp
Billy is a Senior Livestock Journalist for the Queensland Country Life based in Toowoomba. He has worked for a variety of different ACM mastheads during the past five years including the Namoi Valley Independent, Northern Daily Leader and The Land.
Billy is a Senior Livestock Journalist for the Queensland Country Life based in Toowoomba. He has worked for a variety of different ACM mastheads during the past five years including the Namoi Valley Independent, Northern Daily Leader and The Land.
