SKIPPER Scott Arnold insists Wimborne Town must make the play-offs this season and admits anything less will be a “letdown”.

The Cuthbury captain lauded the backing of new chairman Paul Miller and gave a glowing endorsement of the ambitious Magpies’ quintet of summer signings.

Wimborne’s war chest has enabled boss Steve Cuss to persuade strike pair James Stokoe and Mark Gamble to step down a level from Southern Premier rivals Bashley.

Luke Whitley also drops down a division, joining from troubled AFC Totton, while highly-rated Christchurch winger Sam Griffin and returning midfielder Ollie Phillipson-Masters have joined the promotion quest.

Miller publicly stated his intention to take the Magpies up within two seasons after he stepped into the shoes of former chairman and popular club stalwart Ken Stewart.

However, after last season’s consolidation in Southern South & West, reliable right-back Arnold reckons the top five beckons for the strengthened Magpies, a year ahead of Miller’s target.

Arnold told the Daily Echo: “You have only got to look at the players we have brought in to see the ambition of the club this season and we are looking at the play-offs, if not better.

“We have got to aim high because the players we have brought in are not coming here to stand still, they want to push on and get back to the league they came from.

“Steve (Cuss) has let us know what the chairman’s ambitions are and we’ve all got to take that on board and follow it through.

“Paul Miller said he wants promotion in the next two years, but I think we would all be disappointed if we do not make the play-offs because the squad we have should definitely achieve that.

“I think the mindset has changed because of the ambition and you have to set your sights high. Anything less than the play-offs will be a letdown for everyone involved.”

And Arnold, who admitted to enduring a testing time at Cuthbury over the past two years, believes that Wimborne’s new strike pair hold the key to success this season.

On the club’s turnaround in fortunes, Arnold added: “My first season was difficult and I didn’t expect us to struggle as much as we did. We underestimated the league but we survived and steadied the ship last season. At one point, looked like we would push on, but we were always a couple of goals short.

“This has got to be our most exciting pre-season ever and we just can’t wait to get going.

“There is massive competition for places and I think the whole standard and attitude of everyone at training has gone up a notch.

“To bring a strike pair from a higher division who have played together and know what each other’s game is about is massive.

“It is not just goals they bring, but the ability to hold the ball up, slow the game down and let everyone else catch up at vital times.”