The dust has barely settled on the 2022/23 season - but Motherwell boss Stuart Kettlewell will have his players back to work for the 2023/24 campaign in just two weeks' time.
On May 28, Motherwell wrapped up a rollercoaster season, which saw three different managers in the Fir Park dugout, with a 3-2 win at home to Dundee United that secured seventh place in the Premiership.
And on June 19, it will be full steam ahead for Kettlewell's pre-season operation, as he brings his squad back from their summer break to maintain the momentum that saw him haul the team off the bottom of the Premiership in February.
In a season that started with Graham Alexander at the helm, a Europa Conference Qualifying defeat to Sligo Rovers opened the door for club legend Steven Hammell to step up.
But that ended in disaster as the club fell to joint-bottom in the league and a shock Scottish Cup exit at the hands of Championship side Raith Rovers.
Since Kettlewell took over, Motherwell have lost just twice in 14 games and the current gaffer is keen to keep that feel good factor going by getting his squad back together sooner rather than later.
Kettlewell, who will take his side to the Netherlands at the end of the month for a week-long training camp, said: "It will be a short break. We are back in on June 19 so it's about trying to do as much work as we can, get as many answers as we can, try to be proactive as we can, all the while trying to get a break as well.
"I think it is important because it has been such an intense period in the last 14 games, never mind what we are going into.
"I think it is important everybody tries to refresh, rejuvenate and come back stronger next season.
"My goal was to make sure we finished off the bottom of the table. We have dramatically turned that around and the next phase will be something totally different for us.
"We will try and utilise that as best we can."
Motherwell's success under the former Ross County gaffer has seen the likes of star striker Kevin van Veen and wing-back Max Johnston thrive, leading to plenty of speculation about their futures.
Johnston has been offered a new deal, while van Veen appears likely to be heading for a move away despite being under contract for another year.
And Kettlewell reckons the levels of interest in key players might not have been there, but for the team's collective efforts on the pitch.
He said: "There's no doubt there will be interest in Max, as there will be several of our players.
"But I need to go back and say that I am not so sure how that interest would have been 14 games ago.
"I don't think we would have been speaking about as many players in as much of a light as we currently are, so I think that is testament to the work that has been done.
"I am delighted for everybody at the club, but I don't want that glorious success of finishing seventh."
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