BOURNEMOUTH head coach Will Croker feels his ambitions to challenge at the top end of National Three South West are close to becoming a reality.

Lions rounded off the calendar year with victory over Cleve on Saturday, the triumph seeing the Chapel Gate side end 2015 sixth in the standings.

Boss Croker told the Daily Echo: "My expectations were always to be challenging from the get-go. To prepare for consolidation is to prepare for relegation – you are almost accepting mediocrity as long as you finish in mid-table.

"We always had those aspirations but I didn't realise quite how long it would take. I knew we had a talented group of players but it's not until you see them play together and come under pressure in match environments that you see how they respond.

"Those three successive defeats in September showed that it was going to take us some time to learn how to win and lose together.

"But we've steadied the ship well. We are now seven from nine and going into the second half of the season, I feel we are getting stronger.

"Our defence is currently the second-best in the league and that is a really sound block to start from."