They wrapped up their Southern League season in seventh place at the weekend — just two points separate fourth and seventh — finishing with seven wins, five draws and six losses.
Scoullar said the Royals started the season well and the team came home strongly to go unbeaten for six games.
"For us, that was an achievement, you know, and it showed we are very hard to beat," Scoullar said.
"We took points off [almost] everyone which was very, very promising.
"The only team that we haven’t taken points off this season is Coastal Spirit, the champions."
That streak included a come-from-behind 1-1 draw on August 9 against Christchurch United, who alongside Coastal Spirit qualified for the National League.
"For us, that was a big graft.
"Nine players on the pitch were all Dunedin-born and we kind of gave a debut at the same time to a 15-year-old."
But they hit a few bumps in the middle of the season when they were leading and let Cashmere Technical, Nelson Suburbs, Nomads United, Ferrymead Bays and Universities of Canterbury sneak back for the matches to end in losses or draws.
"You kind of go coulda, shoulda, woulda, but you know in those 15 minutes [of games] ... that’s kind of where it narrows down to.
"I suppose it’s a little bit of experience and a little bit of game management. If we had a team that was a little bit older ... we probably would have got those games over the line, but we didn’t and that’s football."
Captain Connor Neil found the back of the net eight times this season to finish as the Royals’ top scorer.
Brady Jacobs and Thomas Milton scored five goals each, Will Turner added four and Jack Julian three.
The Royals were a relatively new squad this season, though had a spine of players returning, and several teenagers got their chance to make the step up.
"We brought a lot of players in, a lot of youth.
"Giving them opportunities to play at the highest levels, so to speak, in the South Island was pretty crucial to tie into our Royals academy and development system we’re trying to create."
Scoullar expected to retain the majority of the squad next year and would be looking for a strong striker and extra midfielders.
New Zealand Football has proposed changes to the National League structure from 2027. Currently the top two teams from the Southern League qualify for the National League at the end of the season.
Scoullar said he was torn, but supported format changes that had regulations to still provide opportunities for South Island teams.
He also supported a South-Central model, which could include teams from the Wellington region and South Island teams.
Wānaka, who sit eighth on the Southern League table in their debut season, will play Nelson Suburbs in a catch-up game this weekend.
Dunedin champions Northern await their home-and-away playoff tie to see if they will qualify for the Southern League.
