Whitton United boss Shane Coldron wants to ‘hit the ground running’ next season.

The King George V side have been promoted to the Eastern Counties Premier Division in 2018/19.

It’s a remarkable turnaround for the Ipswich-based club, who were forced to pull out of the ECL less than a decade ago.

Much work has gone on, both on and off the pitch since then, and Coldron has given the club real belief as they head back into Step 5.

“I think last year we exceeded our expectations rather as I was under no pressure to get us up,” Coldron said.

“But we deserved it. Our squad was excellent and I’m looking to re-sign that squad again.

“There are three or four targets I also have in place.

“That’s exciting for us and if we get these players, then I don’t want to sound too confident, but I don’t think we will be scrapping in a relegation battle. We will have the squad in place to stay and compete well in Step 5.”

Coldron didn’t enjoy a full pre-season with Whitton last year, coming in as he did during the summer.

He’s looking forward to it this time round.

“This year I can hit the ground running,” he said.

“Having a full pre-season is important and I missed that last year.”

Away from football, Coldron has endured the heartache of losing his wife Zoe back in January, after she collapsed at home. They were childhood sweethearts and had four children together. She was just 44.

“Yes, it’s been very tough, but we are slowly getting there,” he added.

“Football has actually been my one normality, sort of a regular Saturday afternoon thing. Everyone at Whitton has been very supportive to me. I’m an Ipswich lad but never knew Whitton that well. It’s a great community.”