BRIDPORT manager Adam Fricker has revealed that talismanic striker Mark Salter is set to stay at St Mary’s Field for another season.

The Bees have also moved to secure the signing of former Dorchester Town, Portland United and Hamworthy United midfielder Max Buckler.

Bridport’s first summer dealings come after a protracted 2017/18 campaign that finished several weeks later than planned after poor weather caused numerous home fixture cancellations.

Speaking to Echosport, a delighted Fricker insisted that deals for the duo would not be part of “wholesale changes” in the off-season.

He said: “We’ve spoken to pretty much all the lads and we would expect pretty much everyone to be back. We’re not looking to make wholesale changes.

“Mark has confirmed that he’s going to be staying for another season. That was one of our concerns that he would look to retire.

“We’ve also agreed a deal with Max – we’re delighted. He’s been at Bridport previously but as it stands that’s pretty much where we’re at.

“We’re not looking to bring in an influx of players anyway. We may look to get one or two but we’re happy with everyone we’ve got.”

Elaborating on Salter himself, who scored 27 goals for the Bees last season, Fricker believes the veteran forward is “irreplaceable” and was pleased he had decided against retiring.

He said: “It’s always on Salts’ mind – you want to go out on a high. We’ve known for a while that he wasn’t going to retire.

“For us, he’s irreplaceable, not just with his goals, but with everything else he does with the team. He’s a great lad to have around the club from our perspective.”

On Buckler, Fricker was adamant the midfielder would be a “great addition” to the Bees squad.

He said: “Max will come in and he was a player that we identified to try and come in last season. Understandably he chose to go to Dorchester, then he moved to Hamworthy.

“He knows the club, which makes a massive difference. We expect him to settle in pretty quickly. It’s going to be a great addition to the competitive squad we’ve built.”

With Fricker looking at players to bring in, the Bridport boss was confident that the majority of his side would remain at St Mary’s Field.

He said: “We’ve got some very good footballers in our team and I’m sure there are clubs at a higher level looking at them.

“I’ll just be grateful when pre-season starts and we’ve got everyone there. We expect 95 per cent of the squad to stay on.”