Kingstonian’s Matt Somner said the team has to perform “100 times better” than last season if they are to achieve their goals this time around.

The Ks have enjoyed a good pre-season, winning six out of eight, but Somner insisted that pre-season counts for nothing above getting match fit.

The serious stuff starts in the Ryman Premier this weekend when Alan Dowson takes his men to Canvey Island.

Despite the need to improve, Somner, who is not yet sure he will hold the captain’s armband again this year, said the atmosphere in the camp is relaxed ahead of Saturday’s curtain raiser.

“Everyone wants to be promoted, but Alan has not even mentioned at all in pre-season,” Somner said.

“We all know that we have to play 100 times better than we did last year. We should have done better than we did last year, it was disappointing.

“Everyone wants to win every game, but we’re not going overboard on setting targets. The atmosphere is pretty relaxed.”

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Over the summer, Dowson has watched over a series of trialists in an effort to improve on their final resting place of 11th last season.

He has also changed the Ks’ style of play, something Somner said has borne fruit in pre-season.

“Last season we conceded too many goals, and so we have been working on defence,” Somner said.

“It may not be pretty but we’ll be taking 1-0 wins where we can. “We’ll be more organised at the back, and as pre-season has gone on, it’s shown. In the past three games we’ve not conceded a goal, and the only team to score more than one against us was Spurs.”

He added: “I know that pre-season games are not all that relevant apart from getting match fit and working on shapes and formations, but we’re going into the new season with that ‘hard to breakdown’ mentality, which is perfect.”