AFC owner Paul Casson has seen ‘light years’ of progress for Barrow during their first year back in the National League.

The Bluebirds ended the season with a 2-0 win over Wrexham on Sunday, which ensured they finished 11th in the table, closer to the play-offs than the relegation zone.

For Casson, who watched from the main stand as Andy Cook netted his 24th and 25th goals of the season, there was much to be happy about after an eventful campaign.

“It’s been really educational,” said the Texas-based millionaire businessman. “I think we were a little naïve when we first came up into the Conference.

“The opening-day win against Dover perhaps made us think we were a little better than we were, but then we went to Grimsby, Forest Green, Cheltenham – places like that – and we got hammered. It was a dose of reality.

“At that point, it was a question of reassessing, finding out what we needed to do – firstly to survive and then to prosper. I think over the course of the season, we have actually done that.

“With Paul Cox coming in, the whole atmosphere now is a lot more professional and it feels like a full-time professional football club. I think we have a pretty decent foundation.

“While perhaps we haven’t achieved what I’d hope we’d achieve this season, I think we have built a pretty solid foundation for next season.”

He added: “There is light years difference between where we are now and where we were at this time last season.

“The difference between this league and the league below is a chasm. When you think about who is in this league now – the Wrexhams, the Lincolns, Tranmere, it is a fairly serious league.

“With no disrespect to the Brackleys, the Stalybridges and those clubs, you don’t play them any more. You’re playing teams with big budgets and big followings and it’s completely different.”

Casson met with his board of directors, manager Cox and his coaching staff on Sunday morning to plan the way forward into next season.

He expects there will be announcements this week over which players are retained as part of the AFC squad and which are let go. Definitive news on whether star striker Cook has accepted a new contract will also be revealed in the coming days and weeks.

The aim is to build a squad capable of competing ‘at the top end of the table’, with Casson confident he has the right man in Cox to do just that.

“Paul has been on this journey and he knows what it takes to be promoted from this league and to survive in the league above,” said the Holker Street owner. “That part of the expertise, we don’t need to learn again with him in charge. It’s all about putting the building blocks in place that he thinks he needs to get us there.”