Sutton United midfielder James Hawes reckons his late equaliser against Havant & Waterlooville will be the first of many goals of a season he hopes will end with promotion.

The former Braintreee Town man struck with five minutes of his United debut remaining as boss Paul Doswell’s men battled back from 2-0 down to draw with their Blue Square South hosts after Steffan Payne’s goal dragged them back into the contest.

Hawes switched to Gander Green Lane in the summer - along with brother Billy - after Doswell convinced him he was piecing together a team good enough to win the Ryman League Premier Division.

And the 23-year-old reckons he saw enough at the weekend to prove the manager has been true to his word.

“There is nothing better than scoring a goal and there will be a few more where that came from this season,” he said.

“I’d like to get to double figures. It is my aim every season to get as many goals as I can.

“I don’t really mind who scores as long as we win. I’m used to playing at Conference South level and I see no reason why we can’t get there.

“We’ve got a really, really good squad. Paul told me of his ambitions and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Hawes has only just returned from holiday in Tenerife, but made light of his lay-off to play a full 90 minutes and make the decisive contribution having played no competitive football since April.

In his absence, Doswell has been putting the squad through its paces on the training ground ahead of the coming campaign - which kicks-off at home to Margate on August 15.

And Essex-based Hawes believes the hard work has already paid off.

“It was hard work for me having not played for a while. You can do all the fitness work you like, but there is nothing like being match fit,” he added.

“Everyone looks sharp and that is important.

“We seem to be playing as a team already rather than individuals. That is what we need to get out of this league and I think the team spirit that has already built up gives us an edge.”