No More Mr. Nice Guy As Chippenham Head To The Vanarama National League South

The Bluebirds collected a record 103 points last season to become champions, scoring 94 goals in the process and going on an impressive 23-game unbeaten run.

So who could blame boss Collier for retaining the majority of his squad that were so consistent and entertaining during their last campaign?

But the former Swindon Supermarine manager says it isn’t a token gesture because of their tremendous efforts.

“We had a great season, getting that many points and scoring all those goals,” he told the National League.

“I don’t think any of the top four beat us. Even though it seemed to take ages for us to win the league, in the end we did it quite comfortably.

“I haven’t just given the majority of the squad the opportunity to play in the National League South, I think they can play at that level.

“It’s not me being friendly and thinking ‘I’ll give them a go because they did so well’. I genuinely think they can compete.

“Obviously, time will tell and I’m sure there will be some fallouts and there will be some additions as we go. At this moment in time, if the league was to start tomorrow, then we’d be comfortable with the squad we’ve got, with the two or three additions that we’ve made.”

Two key players that Collier had no hesitations over re-signing were 60-goal strike partnership Andy Sandell and David Pratt.

“They both had fantastic seasons and they complement each other well,” he added.

“We need to add to that forward line which we’re currently working on. When the games were tight, one of those two would come up with something that led us to victory.

“Pratt and Sandell were as good as anything in the Southern League and they certainly had a big say in the title race. Not only did they score a lot of goals, they worked their socks off for the team.”

Collier continued: “There’ll be better sides, better players and all-round I think teams will be more clinical in front of goal. Every team will have a competitive squad and most of the players will have played at that level or above before.

“We need to look out for ourselves and make sure we perform to our capabilities. Poole and Hungerford both did particularly well in their first seasons so hopefully that can stand us in good stead.

“We have a young squad and a vibrant board. The infrastructure at the club is in place for us to keep pushing on. The chairman wants to do things in a correct and methodical manner which I completely support.

“The club is excited to be where we are but we are fully aware of the hard work and challenge that we face.”