Hartley seeking 40-goal strikers on '˜same' budget
The Bairns boss spoke after Saturday’s emphatic 5-2 win in Dumbarton ( Click here for match report) and claimed next season’s budget will be similar what he’s already working with.
Last week a club statement from chief executive Craig Campbell said the board had “signed off and agreed the single largest first team playing budget seen at this club whilst in the Championship”.
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Hide AdBut Hartley warned: “I think they got a bit ahead of themselves to be quite honest – the budget will be what it was last season.
“So we’ll work with the budget we have – that’s what I’ve always done and we’ll try to get the best possible squad that’s available to us for the money we can pay.”
That will, he hopes, include a proven goalscorer or strike partnership capable of firing the Bairns to the right end of the table, and to promotion.
Currently the club’s top scorers race is a four-way tie between Joe McKee, Aaron Muirhead, Alex Jakubiak and players’ player of the year Louis Longridge.
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Hide AdBut after seeing five different scorers in Saturday’s rout, the Bairns boss added: “We split the goals between the team and the forwards and midfielders. It’s really pleasing.
“When you’re trying to go for a title or be promoted, you need two strikers who’ll get you 35-40 goals between them and we’ve not quite had that but it was nice to share it out.
“Next year we need people in the group to get us goals.”