Halstead Town manager Mark Benterman is only setting short-term targets as his team get set to begin their season today.

The Humbugs get their 2016/17 Thurlow Nunn League division one campaign under way with a home encounter against Needham Market Reserves today before another game at the Milbanks Stadium on Tuesday, when they will host AFC Sudbury Reserves.

Halstead will be aiming to go at least one better this year than the fourth-place finish they achieved last time and achieve promotion into the premier division, however Benterman knows it could prove tough with some big-spending clubs coming into division one this season.

So he is trying to keep his players focused on short-term goals rather than looking to what they can achieve at the end of April.

He said: “There are teams in our division who have budgets four times what ours is and that’s what we are competing against.

“It is what it is and we can’t get carried away with what we achieved last year.

“If other sides are spending money then we just have to prove we are better than them when we play them.

“It’s all about what we do – not what others are doing.

“We always set the boys a points target and this year we’re asking them to get between 85 and 90 as we believe that would take us up.

“We got 75 last year and missed out by three and with 40 league games this year, I feel we can only afford to drop 30 points.

“We just want to get as many as possible, but the first target is to be in the mix – in the top three or four – at Christmas and then push on again in the second half of the season like we did last year.

Continued on page 30 “But we’re not looking too far ahead.

“We can say we’re going for promotion, but you can’t make big steps at the start; we just have to make small steps, looking to win the first game and then the second and then the FA Cup game the following weekend.

“We are confident where we are as we have worked hard in the closed season to improve but we need to make sure we are ready to out-battle teams.

“The boys are buzzing and we want to start with three points on Saturday.”

The Humbugs boss said his only injury concern for the game against Needham Market was Sam Cripps, who is being monitored for a groin problem, while Ricky Spriggs, James Murray and Charlie Pleace are all unavailable through personal commitments.

However, Benterman said he expected Joe O’Hare to return from Chelmsford City after a successful loan spell at Halstead from the Clarets last year and former captain Lewis Cunliffe is also back on board.

Benterman has been pleased with how his team’s pre-season preparations have been progressing ahead of the game against Needham Market.

Halstead concluded their summer friendlies with a 5-0 win against Hedingham United on Tuesday and the boss feels his players are ready for the real business to begin.

“It has gone as smoothly as possible in pre-season,” he said.

“They can always be difficult, but it has gone really well with new players coming in and performing and the old ones coming back with real fight.

“Keeping the nucleus of the squad together from last year was important.

“There were a few vultures circling but we’ve worked hard to keep it together.”