STUART Heath insists that the Magpies’ triumph over Poole Town on Monday did not represent the shock it portrayed on paper.

Although he described the overall performance of the county town side as “outstanding” on Easter Monday, for the Magpies’ first-team coach, it did not come as too much of a surprise when Nick Crittenden popped up with a second-half winner at the Avenue to rock title-chasing Poole.

“It didn’t show us anything we didn’t already know which was that we can compete with the top sides,” he told Echosport.

“We have done that over the last few months at places like Truro, Corby and Hungerford, it was just a case of doing it at home against Poole and playing to our potential.

“I thought the overall performance was outstanding and we were brilliant defensively against a side which I still think will win the league.”

He added: “I think it would have come as a shock at Christmas when we went to Poole and got a 0-0 draw, many people didn’t really expect that.

“But with how we have played in the last three or months, we can compete with the best teams in the league and we need to take that on to next season and make sure we are one of the teams in that top-five.

“That’s where we want to be next season, either going for automatic promotion, or in the play-offs. That’s our ambition and mentality going forward.”

And to make that ambition a reality, Heath believes while the county town playing squad has promising ability, it will require more depth.

He added: “Even when Mark Jermyn came in we were talking and looking for next season to make the squad stronger in depth, to add some quality to it, and make sure we improve on our league position.

“Mark, Nick and all the management staff as well as the board are fully aware of it and it’s something we are looking at right at the moment and have been for a while with next season in mind.”