LEE Spalding says short-term focus will serve Swindon Supermarine well as they prepare to start life back in the Southern League Premier Division South this weekend.

Spalding guided Marine to promotion via the Division One South & West play-offs last season, with the club returning to the third tier of non-league football for the first time since 2012.

Marine will start the campaign on home turf, with Tiverton Town visiting the Webbswood Stadium on Saturday.

Although anticipation is building at the club as they prepare to try to cut their teeth at a higher level, manager Spalding has urged his troops not to think about any season ambitions just yet.

“There is definitely excitement across the whole club. Everyone is looking forward to it, it is now just a case of making sure we are ready,” said Spalding.

“I haven’t really set too many goals, to be honest. I have said to the players that I just want us to be as competitive as we can in every single game we play, and I want us to go game by game.

“I think the most important thing is the next game, so I want us totally focussed on what we have to do against Tiverton, not what we have to do for the rest of the season.

“It is important to keep it simple like that and just try to win as many games as we can.”

Spalding has opted to retain the majority of his promotion-winning squad from last season, but with a few fresh faces thrown in too, the Marine manager is sure they will have what it takes to compete in the Premier Division.

“We were lucky as we had a really good squad from last season, but we just felt that in making the step up, we needed to add a little bit of quality in certain positions,” said Spalding.

“I think we have done that and I am confident we can make that step up and be competitive in this league.”

Marine face a stiff test of their credentials first up as they host a Tiverton side who finished best of the rest when it came to sides outside the promotion reckoning last season.

Spalding said: “It is going to be a tough game, Tiverton are a good side.

“They finished sixth last season and just missed out on the play-offs, so will be looking to push on this season and try to finish in the top five.

“It is going to be a really tough test as the first game of the season but although we know what they are about, I think it is more important that we concentrate on what we are doing.”