Defender, Jake Hutchings, says he feels Leiston have earned the respect of the rest of the League and next season is going to prove an interesting one for the Victory Road club.

The Blues enjoyed a fantastic Southern League Central Premier Division campaign just gone, losing only five league matches, before losing 1-2 to Nuneaton Borough in the semi-final play-offs.

It was the Club’s highest-ever league finish, and Hutchings knows the bar has been set high.

“We have certainly shown what we can do. It will be interesting next season see what happens when teams play us,” Jake said.

“Teams will take us seriously now. We were a bit of a surprise element; we’ve earned the respect of other teams and they will push us more. But we can’t sit on what we’ve done, we must drive and push on ourselves.

“The target was always to try and get into those play-offs, cause a bit of a shake-up, because you invariably see the same faces there.

“And we did that. So, the season was a success, but it makes you hungry for more because we just fell short. Who wants to come second, or third in a title race? You want to get over that edge?”

Reflecting on such a successful league campaign, Jake says the win at Rushall Olympic (who went on to beat Nuneaton Borough in the play-off final) back in December was a big moment for the squad.

“That performance at Rushall Olympic was a huge one for us,” Jake said.

“It was a freezing cold Tuesday night, and we went there, kept a clean sheet, won 2-0, on a night when everything was against us. After five minutes, one of the boys gets a split head injury. It was like being in the trenches and we all worked so hard and got the result.

“From that moment on, the belief in the dressing room was like, we can go and beat anyone. It brought the dressing room close together.

“We had a small squad, but personally I like that. Having a big squad, you can rotate, and your body is always fresh, but sometimes you lose that togetherness. When you have that tight 16/17-man squad, if you avoid injuries everyone is in it together, the same faces, pushing each other on.

“And that’s what we had this season. A good group of players whether on the pitch, or on the bench, pushing each other all the way.”

But now already heads are turning to next season. So, what are Jake’s plans?

“Nothing is sorted yet. But personally, the direction the football club is going in, I’d like to be part of it. If we can keep the same group together and add a couple more to it, that would be good.

“The Club is well run; the managers are very good, and we play great football.”