Battersea Ironsides Rugby Club are going all-out for promotion to Surrey One, so says full back Raonull MacKinnon.

And they could not have got off to a better start thanks to a resounding 32-19 win over Old Emanuel last weekend.

After two seasons in Surrey Two and having brought in a wealth of experience, MacKinnon says the Ironsides should be gunning for promotion.

The 26-year-old said: “We have made some real progression from last year with some players joining us from higher up the league.

“And with the players that we have, frankly we should be going up. We have a stable coaching set up and throughout the side we have an abundance of talent.

“Mick [Walsh, coach] has been moulding a style of play that the players are starting to buy into and now that is moving forward and built upon for a second season.”

MacKinnon is excited by the additions of James Newsome at number eight, ex-Gloucester academy player Rob Phillips at prop and centre Ash Harlett.

He said: “It was important that we strengthened our centre partnerships as that was one of the reasons we weren’t promoted last year.”

However, he saves most of his praise for winger Tyson Peters, who he described as “rapid”.

He said: “He is incredibly fast. He should be training with the athletes for Rio 2016. But if you get him into space he will definitely clock up the points.”