SLOUGH Town joint-manager Jon Underwood believes the play-offs has to be the aim in the National League South this season, writes Rob Stevens.

The Rebels

went unbeaten in their last 10 league matches last season, a run that started in March with six wins and four draws, but missed out on the play-offs by three points.

Underwood

believes the squad has been strengthened over the summer and although it is important not to get left behind in August, he hopes Slough can hit the ground running.

He told the Observer: “When you finish the previous season 10 unbeaten and three points off the play-offs, then you have to target them again.

“It’s not easy because there are some big clubs with strong budgets. There are four teams that are training full-time, or certainly three mornings a week, and that gives them an advantage.

“You see the signings that the likes of Billericay are making and we shouldn’t be competing with those teams over the course of the season, but that’s what we aim to do and we believe in this group of players.

“We believe that we can certainly compete with those teams in a one-off game, but what we need to do is be consistent.

“The target for us and a number of other teams is can we get into the play-offs. When you go down to seventh in the table everyone feels like they’ve got a crack at it and we’re one of probably 16 or 18 teams that will be aiming for that.”

“There are one or two that will be targeting to win the league and it’s easy for me to say of course we want to do the same, but we have to be realistic as to where we are as a club and where others are.

“We’ve got good experience in the play-offs so hopefully we can get into them and then get promoted.”

Underwood continued: “There are eight games in August (one fifth of the season) and 24 points to play for so it’s a huge month. It’s a chance to focus straight away on the most important thing, which is the league, and hopefully we can hit the ground running.

“A good August sets you up nicely and then the cup competitions come in and that sometimes is a little bit of a distraction.

“Clearly you don’t to get left behind in August. You want to get enough points on the board to be contention with those play-off sides.”