NOW Worcester City's roller-coaster season is over there is just one thing to say -- bring on August!

Forthcoming summer months mean gearing up for an eagerly anticipated Ashes contest and more strawberries and cream at Wimbledon.

But, like most ardent football fans, Worcester supporters will no doubt be counting down the days until their boys in blue and white return to action.

And the 2005/06 Nationwide North campaign could possibly be the most exciting in store for some time at St George's Lane.

A season in which player-manager Andy Preece gets a crack from the very beginning to take City to the promised land of the Nationwide Conference.

It's a mark of how well Preece has done when Saturday's travelling fans at Gainsborough Trinity can sing and smile all afternoon in the face of City's severest loss this term.

Within three months, Preece and his assistant Andy Morrison helped turn around a troublesome season that, on evaluation, embodied more ups and downs than a white-knuckle ride at Alton Towers.

It began in relatively positive style under former boss John Barton as City flourished with goals to become the division's last unbeaten side, landing three wins and six draws in nine matches.

A 1-0 defeat at Ashton United ended the sequence before City crashed to further league losses to Worksop Town and Harrogate Town, then in the FA Cup to Cambridge City.

A play-off place was then quickly out of sight as Worcester struck an inconsistent patch prior to Christmas. The rot set in at New Year as back-to-back defeats against Nuneaton Borough prompted Barton's resignation and a state of flux at the Lane.

Only after Preece's fanfare arrival did Worcester's players pick themselves up off the floor and perform to their optimum.

Despite immediate losses to Southport and Trinity, the influence of the former Bury boss soon rubbed off.

What followed was purely unexpected. A run of eight wins in nine elevated City from relegation candidates to within an outside chance of a play-off spot.

As it was, an improbable late top-five entry failed to materialise but there are now high levels of optimism as Preece prepares to wheeler-deal for next season.

And what about the players? Who will stay and who will go? That will be revealed shortly, but for the meantime, let's look back at the individuals who gave to the cause.

Danny McDonnell endured an injury-hit season but still has one of non-league's safest pair of hands.

Stand-in stoppers Aaron Kerr and James Coates plugged the gap admirably in McDonnell's absence, particularly the latter, while rookie Lewis Skyers received his full debut against Barrow. Wing-backs Rob Warner and Les Hines were good summer purchases, departed Colin Hoyle proved reliable and Barry Woolley has grown in stature.

Veteran pair Carl Heeley and Paul Carty remain full of running despite their advancing age, while, at the opposite end of the spectrum, former academy players Shabir Khan, Liam McDonald and Dan Parker were handed limited run-outs.

In midfield, fans warmed to Nick Colley through his 100 per cent efforts and Tom Warmer added fresh impetus in mid-season. Playmaker Jai Stanley and battler John Snape improved in spades under Preece's guidance. Meanwhile, Pat Lyons headed to Ilkeston Town as George Clegg stepped in.

And, in the final third of the pitch, City hero Mark Owen left for a fresh start at Moor Green, unlucky Christian Moore suffered a season-long injury, Preece is yet to register a goal in his second spell at the club, while James Smith came in for the odd appearance.

Goals came predominantly from regular striking duo Leon Kelly and Adam Webster, the latter bagging the supporters' and players' player of the year award for his 22 league strikers.