Step 3 a whole new ball game, warns boss Peter Beadle

Despite easing to the Southern League South & West title last season, the Edgar Street boss believes his side were too easy to read at times.

Beadle said: “My worry sometimes is that we’re a little too predictable. Last season I think there were some games when the sides we were playing knew exactly what was going to come at them and when.

“We were a bit too easy to figure out, so we will need a plan B, plan C and even a plan D for the EVO-STIK League South Premier.

“The higher you go, the bigger clubs you play again and the more organised they are so we’ve got to add the element of surprise as we won’t get away with it at Step 3.”

The Bulls, who face divisional rivals Weymouth at home in the FA Trophy, won’t find life as easy as they have done since reforming.

Last season, they won the league with 107 points, and the year before that – in the Midland League – they were a point better off.

Forget about running away with it this time, Beadle told expectant supporters.

“I’ve said before, it’s a whole new ball game at this level and we’re playing against clubs that, like ourselves, were in the Conference not so long ago,” he said. “It’s a very high standard of football.

“The likes of Kettering and Weymouth have real history, then there’s Slough Town and Farnborough who were in the top flight of Non-League too a few years back.“It will be very competitive and we will need to be ready for the challenges that are ahead of us.”