Mick Sullivan admits there is a real air of anticipation at Fetcham Grove as Leatherhead prepare to return to training ahead of this season’s Ryman Division One South campaign.

Having been the form team in the second half of last season, the Tanners came from nowhere to reach the play-offs, only to lose on penalties to eventual winners Folkestone.

And Sullivan reckons that disappointment will spur his side on to even greater success.

He said: “I think we have to say that this season the play-offs is the minimum for us, and we should even be looking to win the league.

“If you had said that to me last season I would not have believed it, but we have put ourselves in that position.

“Last season we proved we can do it, and I expect the players to use that disappointment to go even better this time around.

“But it is not all doom and gloom, and the trick is to remind the squad just how much success we had last year and build on that.”

Pre-season training begins on Tuesday for the Tanners, with Sullivan having arranged a punishing series of friendly fixtures.

And the Leatherhead boss reveals there will be no wholesale changes to come.

Sullivan added: “If it is not broken why repair it?

“I have invited every player back and nobody has contacted me to say they are moving on, so I am relying on their honesty to turn up.

“Pre-season will be crucial for us as I am not naive enough to think we will start the season like we ended the last.

“But if we can hit the ground running we have every chance of doing something special this time around.”