Sutton United winger Matt Hann has unfinished business this season and he believes his team mates should feel exactly the same.
The former Peterborough United trainee was hampered by an achilles injury towards the end of last season as boss Paul Doswell’s side lost in the Ryman League Premier Division play-offs to Staines Town.
Hann, who is back to full fitness, says it has been a long summer spent trying to get over that defeat to the Swans having forced themselves in to the promotion shake-up after a poor start to the campaign.
And the ex-Eastleigh man, who helped St Albans to the Blue Square South title in 2006, reckons that should be inspiration enough for the club to go one step further this time round.
“I feel like I want to put the wrong that happened at the end of the season right,” he said.
“Everyone goes away for the summer and I don’t think people understand that, as footballers, a sickening blow like losing a play-off stays with you for weeks on end.
“You can’t just take it out on the next match because that is a long way off in May.
“It is the first play-off I’ve ever lost in my career and I think it just gives you the incentive to come back and get promoted.”
The 28-year-old was a lively performer in last week’s 3-1 defeat to League One Brentford and looks set to form a formidable midfield containing new boys Danny Phillips, Sonny Cobbs and James Hawes.
Doswell has placed a greater emphasis on playing fast, attractive football this season and the quartet showed flashes of their capabilities at Gander Green Lane on Wednesday.
Hann reckons getting the ball on the deck is the right approach, but ultimately wants something more tangible to back up that up.
And he reckons success will bring more than just a league title to some of the ambitious youngsters his boss has brought to the club.
“We’ve had one season to have a good look at it in a season where we had Dover - who had a good budget - and Staines - who have been there or thereabouts for years - in the league,” he said.
“It was a different approach last season, but Staines have shown you can get out of this league playing good football and hopefully it will work for us this time.
“It is a bit more open. We’ve got one aim and that is to go up. If we don’t go up that is failure.
“As a team we’ve got do well. For the ambitious lads and the young lads the better they do and we do as a team the more chance they have of getting moves.”
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