THEIR chances of promotion may have ended in heartbreak, but Paul Carden says his work at Warrington Town is only just beginning.

A promising season saw Yellows secure a place in the Evo-Stik Premier Division play-offs, but they fell to a 3-0 defeat to Grantham Town in Tuesday’s semi-final.

Report: Yellows 0 Grantham 3

Carden: Grantham too physically strong for us

As it happened: Yellows 0 Grantham 3

It means Warrington will remain in their current division next season and Carden is confident they will be strong next season.

He also reflected fondly on a campaign in which Yellows also reached the last 16 of the FA Trophy, beating sides from higher divisions such as Tamworth and Ebbsfleet United along the way as well as Altrincham, who won the Evo-Stik Premier Division title

“We’ve had a lot of good times this season,” he told the Guardian.

“It obviously ends here for us, but what we’re trying to do is only just beginning.

“We’ve built the squad from when we came in to now.

“With the right additions over the summer, plus keeping the nucleus of the squad together, we will be strong.”

Yellows were in with a genuine chance of winning the title having closed to within a point of Altrincham at one stage.

However, a stuttering finish to the season saw their momentum stall.

Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Stourbridge in the final game of the regular season saw Ashton United pip them to second spot on goal difference, meaning they were forced to face away-day specialists Grantham in the play-offs.

Carden admits injuries to key players played a big part in their stuttering finish to the campaign.

“We’ve been up there challenging this season but we’ve fallen away in the past five or six weeks,” he said.

“That just shows the importance of having your key men fit for large parts of the season.

“For two big chunks of the season we’ve missed Tony Gray who makes a difference.

“With the likes of Jay McCarten and Dylan Vassallo missing as well, and Beels (Shaun Beeley) for long spells, it was tough.

“Those guys are men and they know how to handle the physical side. Not only can they handle it, they are good players around it.

“We have had a few good performances but the injuries were going to hurt us at some point.

“You can argue that, in the past five or six weeks we’ve stumbled our way from being in such a strong position.

“I’m not making excuses. They are valid reasons.

“We probably had six or seven players on the sidelines who would have started the Grantham game, but injuries are just part and parcel of football.”

Among Yellows’ confirmed opponents for next year are Tamworth, Gainsborough Trinity and North Ferriby United, who were relegated from the National League North.

South Shields and Scarborough Athletic will join them from the Evo-Stik First Division North, while Basford United and Alvechurch were promoted from the First Division South.

The full line-up for next season’s division will be known after tomorrow’s play-off finals, with Grantham advancing to face Ashton United in the Premier Division final to be played at the Robins’ Hurst Cross home.