“DORCHESTER is a good place to be at the moment,” states Mark Jermyn as he gazes out across the pitch from the home dugout at an empty Avenue Stadium.

The Magpies’ legend, speaking to Echosport after his team’s friendly against Truro, is about to start his first full season as a football manager.

But although he is upbeat about Dorchester’s chances of a successful campaign in the Evo-Stik Southern Premier Division, the boss is refreshingly honest when assessing his summer.

“There are a lot of phone calls, a lot of promises, a lot of broken promises, some good conversations and some not so great conversations,” he says.

“You try and identify players that will fit in the team then for one reason or another you can’t manage to get them. The planning side of it and getting the team to where you want them to be is very hard.

“I’m very much looking forward to the season starting and then we can really look at people’s performances.

“Once we’re underway we will assess things again and change things if we need to.

“We’re trying to roll on from last season. I think we finished seventh in the form guide towards the end of the season.

“We’re hoping that the squad we’ve put together now will be as competitive, possibly a little bit more, than what we were last season.

“We’ve got the added bonus of youth on our side and hopefully should we be able to keep hold of them all they will grow up together.”

He added: “I think Dorchester is a good place to be at the moment. There is a lot going on and everyone is looking forward.

“A club the size of Dorchester should be in Conference South. If I had a lot of money I’d say we could win the league because I’d know we’d be able to get this player and that player in.

“We’re not in that position, but I’ve got enough character in that dressing room to stave off bad performances, and should there be a bad performance we’ll put it right the following week.

“As much as I will put the onus on myself for our performances, it really will be the players who determine how far we go this season."

“The players want to be as competitive as they can be.”

Having left the Magpies last summer to join Poole, Jermyn made an immediate impact when he returned to replace Graham Kemp at the helm in January.

Jermyn passed his first test as a manager in preventing the club from suffering successive relegations, while he has been able to keep the majority of the squad together over the summer months.

“One thing with me coming here is that I know I’ve got the support of the fans, the chairman, the board and the players who all want the club to do well,” he said.

“I’ve been here for such a long time now it feels like a second home to me so I really want the club to do well.

“And we’ve put things in place during pre-season that should I not be here they would continue because they are the right things to do.

“We’re really working hard and desperately trying to do everything as professionally as possible while still working within the parameters of a semi-professional football club.”

Dorchester host Histon on Saturday (3pm) before a trip to Cirencester Town next Tuesday (7.45pm).