Colbran backs his Horsham FC for promotion push

That follows a hugely encouraging first training session last night (Thursday), which saw a number of triallists also make an impression on the manager with a few places in the squad up for grabs.

“I was being a bit cagey before now and I said a top half finish would be our aim, but I’m changing my view now,” Colbran said.

“We’re going to go for it, we want to be pushing for the play-off places and speaking to all the players they are more than up for the challenge and I’m totally confident we have the players who are capable of achieving it.”

Nine new players turned up for the Thursday night trial, and of those “two or three really stood out”, the manager said.

“All the players who turned up were all decent and watching a few of them especially was exciting,” he added.

Of those were said to be two strikers who were playing Conference football last season as well as a former Arsenal youth.

Colbran has identified a big target man as something currently missing from his squad, and he is expected to make further announcements in regards to signings shortly.

One thing the former Worthing manager is desperate to secure is the full backing of the Hornets faithful, who he sees as key to helping the side get back to the Ryman Premier.

He said: “If we can get all the supporters behind the team right from the word go and get a good start we’ll have a real chance.

“The fans can bring us a lot of extra points. The players react massively to the support and they can help us get that equaliser or winning late goal in matches. They can be a massive part of what we’re trying to do this year.”