Esher’s board of directors will meet in the next few weeks to hammer out a long term plan to establish the club as a sustainable force in the Championship.

The Molesey Road men were relegated from the second tier of English rugby in 2012 and are currently marooned in mid-table of National Division One.

Director of rugby Mike Schmid has spent much of the season rebuilding a squad capable of competing at the top end of the table His labour is beginning to bear fruit after last weekend’s 17-10 triumph over Coventry – then second in the table – that ended the Midlanders’ 17-match unbeaten run.

Schmid, who watched his side crash 23-17 at Blackheath on Saturday, expects to announce budgetary plans for next season within the next month as he bids to retain as many of his current squad as possible, while adding one or two senior players.

The club have redevelopment plans for their home ground designed to attract enough revenue to sustain the Surrey side in the Championship with a large part of the squad on full time contracts.

But for now the focus is on muscling the club back in to the division’s top five.

“It has taken a little while for me to get used to the boys and for the boys to get used to me and the culture we are trying to introduce,” he said.

“We have been playing well since the turn of the year and want to finish in the top five, which was our aim at the start of the season.

“We can still get there, but it is going to take a good run of wins to do it.

He added: “We want to move the rugby club forward and our aim is to return to the Championship, but to do that we need to be prepared on and off the field.

“Ground developments will hopefully add more revenue streams into the club.

“The Championship is hugely competitive – it is where this club wants to be.

“But to compete at that level we must at least have a core squad of full time player and try to plug the gaps with the best part-time players we can find.”