There's no getting away from the fact we didn't do anywhere near as well as we'd have liked this season.
Back in August, I was convinced we'd at least be in contention for the play-offs but, unfortunately, it wasn't to be.
As I've said loads of times before, on our day we were more than a match for any team in League Two – as wins over four of the teams who either went up automatically or finished in a play-off place demonstrated. However, we were let down by our inability to deliver week in, week out.
I'm really not sure why that was though I can't help thinking that, with us being a side who like to get the ball down and play a bit, some of the surfaces we have come across over the winter didn't help. But I don't want to make excuses – it's the same for everyone and, with every likelihood we'll encounter similar conditions next season, it's something we have to remedy if we're going to do better next season.
On a personal level, I was rather more pleased with how things went. Having missed the second half of last season through injury, I set myself a target of 35 games so was delighted to feature in 47.
What's more, while I'd have liked to have weighed in with one or two more goals and assists, on balance I thought I did pretty well and, most encouragingly of all, I seemed to be improving as the season went on.
While I way well end up being be one of the side's elder statesmen in 2014/15, I'll be the first to admit I'm still learning and I'd like to think I could do better again next term.
Saturday's win at Hartlepool United might not have made a whole lot of difference in terms of our final league position but, looking forward to next season, it provided plenty of positives.
For one, I'm not sure what the average age of the side was but I reckon I was the third oldest player in the starting line-up and I only turned 24 a couple of weeks ago. More to the point, to a man, the youngsters all acquitted themselves really well.
I appreciate you shouldn't go overboard after just one game, but I think we've seen enough this season from the youngsters who've been given a chance in the first team, not to mention the under-21 side's run to the quarter-finals of the Premier League Cup, to conclude the club's investment in youth will reap dividends sooner rather than later. With regard to the Hartlepool match, a special mention must go to Jordan Tillson, who was making his first team debut and was outstanding. Tis said afterwards that he'd rarely seen someone make a more impressive debut and I'm not about to disagree.
No-one works harder in training than Jordan and I was delighted to see him get his opportunity. I fancy we might see an awful lot more of him in the first team next season. Ollie Watkins was the other youngster to make his debut on Saturday and while he only came off the bench for the final 15 minutes he didn't look at all out of place. As with Jordan, I think we can expect to see a lot more of him in the not-too-distant future.
While youngsters such as Ollie and Jordan are just starting out, it's inevitable that for a few others this will be the end of the road.
Tis is meeting with all the players this week and, unfortunately, it's part and parcel of football that one or two of them won't be with us next year. The gaffer keeps his cards close to his chest and, as yet, I don't pretend to know who that might be. Regardless of who leaves, it is always sad to say goodbye.
However, they'll go with the best wishes of those of us who remain and we'll keep our fingers crossed it works out for them.
While I'm like a big kid at heart and love playing football, it's been a tough season and right now I've got to admit I'm looking forward to a bit of a break.
It was great to have the opportunity to let my hair down a bit and relax in the company of some of the club's most ardent supporters at Sunday's end-of-season gala ball. Better still, I was lucky enough to pick up a few awards. It never crossed my mind that I might win anything so it was absolutely fantastic to return home with a load of silverware. I picked up the players' player, Norwegian Grecians' player of the year, North Devon Grecians' player of the year and the ExEC-100 Club player of the year. I'm still smiling about it now.
As you might imagine, it was an honour to win each and every one of those awards, but it was especially satisfying to be recognised by my fellow pros and I'm unbelievably proud that they chose me as their player of the year.
Myself and Amy are off to the Dominican Republic for a few weeks on June 3, then there's the World Cup to look forward to and before you know it we'll be back in for pre-season training!
I promised I'd mention that Gilly and Rob Edwards are doing a 100k bike ride, the Taunton Flyer Sportive, on Saturday and hoping to raise a few quid for the Adam Stansfield Foundation in the process. You won't need me to tell you what a great cause that is and you can sponsor their efforts via their Virgin Money Giving webpage – just go to www.ukvirginmoneygiving.com and search for Matt Gill.
And finally, in this my last column of the season, it only remains for me to say thank you to a few people – to Amy, my friends, family and, last but by no means least, the fans, especially those who read this column and those who travel the length and breadth of the country cheering us on. Your support really is very much appreciated.
Have a fantastic summer and roll on August!
