BOSS Tom Killick admitted Poole Town must “prove ourselves all over again” as they bid to bounce back to National South at the first time of asking.

Relegated from the sixth tier of English football back to Southern League South last season, Dolphins will be looking to recapture the title they famously secured in 2016.

And while he expects his side to be “one of the favourites” to compete in the division’s upper reaches, Killick stressed the need for his troops to show their pedigree.

Dolphins on Saturday kick off their campaign at home to Hartley Wintney (3pm).

The manager told the Daily Echo: “We have to prove ourselves all over again, that’s me and the players because people at the moment are looking at last year’s season of failure.

“We have all got a point to prove but the bulk of the players were here when we won this league, so we have to have some confidence.”

He added: “As a relegated club who has retained most of our players, I think we will probably be one of the favourites to compete at the top end of this league.

“It’s all very well people saying that but we know it does take an awful lot to get yourself in that position.

“There are a lot of very big clubs who have ambitions to be in the top six. You have no divine right to be there, so we know we have to fight from day one.”