IAN Street believes his side will gain from the experience of missing out on promotion, promising a stronger 1874 Northwich by the start of next season.

The fans-owned club finished third in the North West Counties League second tier in their debut campaign, matching the points haul of runners-up Formby.

However the Squirrels will line-up in the Premier Division next term as a reward for having a superior goal difference.

Street says results in head-to-head matches with their rivals for top spot were a reason for falling short.

He added: “There’s not much we need to change, but what cost us is not winning the big games.

“We only took one point from the meetings with [champions] Nelson and Formby, and that proved to be an advantage for them.

“We’ve got to find a way to move on though; it’s important not to dwell too much on what might have been.

“We’ll look at everything now and analyse where we can get better.

“We were devastated to get so close, but that will only make us more determined next season.”

Despite his disappointment, Street told the Guardian that 1874 Northwich had made progress to be proud of.

He dismissed too a suggestion he would be under added pressure to deliver promotion in his second season at the helm.

“The pressure I feel most is what I put on myself,” he said.

“I want to do well for the great people who started this club. In a way, I feel like I’ve let them down a bit.

“The squad is strong, but we’ve spoken to players already who have said they want to be part of things next year. If they come along, they’ll improve on what we have already.

“I spoke to lads this time last year who were reluctant to commit to us because we were an unknown quantity and nobody was sure how successful we could be.

“Those same lads will have been watching on from afar what we’ve achieved – playing in front of big crowds every week while establishing ourselves – and hopefully that doubt has gone away.

“We probably need a bit more quality, that extra touch of class that can make the difference in a tight game.

“At this level, lads will make mistakes but we want to eliminate the risk of being damaged by that.

“There are a busy few weeks ahead of us now.”

In which positions do you think the team needs to be better?