Kevin Watson believes his new-look Chatham squad will be so strong that he won’t get in the team.

The Chats player-boss is poised to make eight new signings and nine of last season’s squad are staying on at Maidstone Road.

Watson said: “If I get the players I’m hoping to get, I won’t get near the team. That’s the position I want to be in.

“I’ve always played things down but I think, for the first time in three seasons, it’s a chance for us to achieve something. I’m not putting a target on it at this stage but I’m optimistic."

Watson’s side finished 13th in Ryman League, Division 1 North last term and he expects better this time around.

He said: “We ended up mid-table and that’s not where we aspired to be. The squad we had wasn’t able to achieve that, so we needed to improve.

“We don’t have open trials. Some players approached us and some were specifically invited to sessions.

“You hear horror stories of teams having 200 trialists but the calibre of players we’re looking to bring in is high. Some gems will pop up but we’re trying to cherry-pick players.”