Jamie Byatt believes Tooting & Mitcham boss Mark Beard is assembling a squad capable of a play-off push this season.

The 29-year-old is one of the Terrors' longest serving players and captained the side for the first 45 minutes as they opened up their pre-season campaign with a 4-2 win over Raynes Park Vale on Saturday.

He scored the second goal in the win, in which new signing Lee Newman opening the scoring, Taylor Thomas headed in the third and new striker Billy Dunn got the fourth.

With youngsters such as Reece Hall, who captained the side for the second half, also coming though, Byatt sees a bright future at Imperial Fields.

"We have a strong squad with a few young players that are good and it is encouraging," he said.

"Hopefully, we can push on from last season and do a bit better, maybe even aim for the play-offs.

"I think we have a good chance.

"It is great for the youngsters and boys from the academy to be coming through and doing well and on top of that Mark has made a couple of great signings.

"Lee Newman started on Saturday and got a goal and has looked great in training and hopefully will add a few goals to the side."

Byatt, who now works as a labourer having left his job at the club's Hub bar, missed the majority of last season through a knee injury that saw him ruled out for a year.

He feared for his footballing future again toward the end of the campaign when he thought he had done the same injury.

"I took a whack on the same knee and went for a scan but thankfully it was just a bit of swelling and everything was fine," he said.

"It was a relief as I don't really want to do that again, if I did do my knee again then that would be me done I think, I couldn't continue playing football.

"But, hopefully I can stay injury free this season and it was nice to be able to get out and play 45 minutes and get my fitness up on Saturday.

"It was nice to win as it is always nice to win, nobody likes losing no matter what the game."

Rumours had been circulating the non-league circuit all summer that Tooting & Mitcham were in financial trouble but Byatt insists they were not distracting and that he has seen no evidence of them.

"There's always rumours," he said.

"But the club have always looked after me and I have never had a problem about being paid, they have never missed a payment."