DAVID Grimwood believes Brantham Athletic now have everything in place to win the Ridgeons League.

The 26-year-old midfielder feels that the recent additions to Tony Hall’s squad mean they are capable of sustaining a title challenge.

He said: “On the pitch we have still got the same group of players who won promotion two years ago.

“It is only recently that we have added to the team, and Josh Capocci, Josh Mayhew and Alex Drennan have all fitted in really well.

“It means we have players who were playing in the team at the start of the season who can’t even get in the squad at the moment.

“Off the pitch the club is also moving in the right direction with the new facilities at the ground.

“Our aim is definitely to win the league and hopefully move up to the next level.”

Grimwood had four successful years at SIL Senior Division side Grundisburgh, culminating in winning the Suffolk Senior Cup in his final game for the club at Portman Road.

“We won both the Suffolk Senior Cup and Omnico Cup in my last season, coming from two goals down in both finals and I scored the winner in both!”

He then joined former Grundisburgh manager Steve Potts at Felixstowe & Walton United for half a season, before switching to Brantham four years ago.

David was followed to Brantham by brother Lee, who joined just after Christmas in December 2009.

He said of playing in the same side as his younger sibling: “I just pass to Lee and let him score instead! I can’t seem to score at the moment – and am certainly not getting as many as I would like.”

One reason his goal output has decreased is that he is no longer the club’s first-choice penalty-taker.

“I was taking the penalties until towards the end of the season when Ollie Mann took over to enable him to finish top scorer in the league, but I didn’t mind.”

Lee, meanwhile, has welcomed the increased competition for places as Brantham step up their challenge for the Ridgeons League Premier Division title, even though his own position is under threat.

It was while he was out for three weeks with ankle and groin injuries that Branham boss Tony Hall swooped to sign striker Josh Mayhew from Woodbridge Town.

Mayhew has proved an instant hit, scoring seven times in six games and forming a lethal partnership with Ollie Mann.

Lee, who will be 24 on Saturday, said: “It is good to have more competition for places. There was just Ollie and me, but now we have got three strikers who are all different types of player to help push the club on.”

The younger Grimwood followed his brother to Brantham nearly two years ago from SIL Senior Division side Grundisburgh, where he had been for two-and-a-half years.

Lee said: “I left Grundisburgh to take a step up as I felt it was the right time to come and give it a try at this level.

“I am glad I did – the standard of football is good and the club here is well set up to go forward.”

Prior to his recent injury he regularly played alongside Ollie Mann, the Ridgeons League’s leading scorer in each of the last two seasons.

He said: “When you have got someone like Ollie scoring goals it takes the pressure off the team.

“He is easy to play alongside because he always gets in goalscoring positions, so if you give him the ball he will score goals.”