ACCRINGTON Stanley chairman Eric Whalley doesn't mince his words when asked about the ambitions for this season - "I want us to win the league."

After taking 11 years as the Reds chief to steer Stanley from the UniBond First Division into the Football League, the ambition is still burning brightly.

"I expect us to win League Two this season," said the chairman. "But whether we do or not is another matter.

"It is all new to us again and we will certainly know after the first two months of the season whether we are good enough to win it.

"I hope that the team will be good enough. I hope we can consolidate first and then push on towards the play-offs and you never know.

"Anything is possible, I think we have proved that in the Conference. Nobody would have said that in two years of going full-time we would be back in the Football League.

"But I can say we will do this and we will do that but there are never any guarantees.

"We are at the top of the table alphabetically at the moment so lets just hope we are there at the end of the season!"

He admits he is staying quite calm despite what a historic day it will be when Stanley run out at Chester after a 44-year absence from the league.

"I am feeling okay at the moment. I know come tomorrow I will probably be stressed at Chester and I will be even more stressed for the home game against Darlington on Tuesday with all the organising we need to do.

"But I don't really feel any different.

"We just hope the fans will come this season. When you look at the two sides who went up from the Conference last season, Carlisle got promoted again into League One and they have gates of six or seven thousand. With a good fan base, it means they can sign players and pay higher wages.

"Barnet struggled and they're more like us with a two-three thousand fan base and it can make a big difference.

"And teams like Doncaster and Yeovil are others who have gone straight up who have big support. We have to hope we get bigger crowds to help us."

And he wants the fans will help to make the Fraser Eagle Stadium a fortress.

"I am looking forward to seeing all the other grounds and the difference with ours as we will be like the poor relations.

"We need to make the Fraser Eagle Stadium a bit of a fortress and make it a ground nobody wants to come to - and we do not mind that at all!"

He did say he was helping boss John Coleman make enquiries about a new striker for the new season but says the on-off Gary Roberts Yeovil saga is driving him mad.

"I just wish Yeovil will put up or shut up as all it is doing is unsettling the player," he said.