SWIFTS boss Rod Brown has described the 2013-14 campaign as Stourport’s ‘annus horribilis’.

The Walshes Meadow outfit finished tenth after a disappointing campaign in the Midland Alliance.

They had gone into the season with high hopes of building on a fourth-placed finish in the previous year but a bad start to the season saw them struggling.

A long-term injury to Lewis Pountney and Jon Grififin’s work-enforced absence meant they were deprived of their first-choice strike force.

Stourport had also brought in former Evesham manager Paul West to assist Brown, but he departed to take up a role at Swindon Town.

But they finally got into their stride in the middle of the campaign, only to have it disrupted by the wettest winter in recorded history.

Chris Morrison and Dan Parker both left after the player registration deadline, while injuries to keepers Lewis Solly and Sam Hawker also hit the Swifts hard at the end of the campaign.

Brown said: “I’ve never known anything like this, it’s been an annus horribilis.

“I was very positive going into the season, but we got off to a slow start before recovering later on.

“I made several signings but only Jamie Hyde was a success.

“The turning point was bringing in Michael Briscoe and we went on a good run in the second half of the season, but losing players and not being able to replace them at the end was a blow.

“But good things have come out of it, the effort of the players has been excellent and we’ve got a good young group.

“I want to keep them all for next season and also add one or two to make us stronger.”

Brown is also hoping midfielder Karl Fellows will be back for next year after recovering from a serious knee injury.

Severely depleted Swifts ended the season with a double away defeat, losing 3-2 at Kirby Muxloe last Thursday before a 2-0 defeat to Highgate last weekend.

“We have played some really good football in the second half of the season,” added Brown.

“Our biggest problem is taking our chances.”