STEVE Claridge reckons Salisbury can match the old club’s Conference Premier attendances in the Sydenhams Wessex League next term.

The boss says he will be satisfied with attracting 800 fans but is hopeful of pulling in 1,000, replicating the gates of the old Salisbury City when they were playing in non-League’s elite the season before last.

After a year with no football at the Ray Mac, Claridge is convinced Salisbury’s large fan base is still very much alive and kicking despite the Whites’ downward spiral.

Talking to The Echo's sister paper The Salisbury Journal, he said: “I’m hopeful for upwards of 1,000 people. We need that amount of people. That’s what this club is all about.

“Everyone else is going to get 80 (fans). We’ll get 800.

“If 800 people turn up for a friendly, you’d like to think they can turn up for our first home game.

“I’d like to think this is a big club and the only way you can determine a big club is how many people come through the turnstiles.”

Claridge insists the higher Salisbury’s gates, the bigger the springboard will be to go on to better things.

“The more people turn up, the sooner we can get out of the league and the sooner we can be where we want to be and play the likes of Luton and Bristol Rovers,” he said.

“We’ll get back to where we need to be because everybody here is determined that will happen.”

The Whites launch their pre-season programme at Dorchester on Wednesday before ex-Ray Mac boss Darrell Clarke brings his Bristol Rovers side to Old Sarum next Saturday (July 11).

They round off pre-season with a visit from Steve Hollick’s AFC Totton on August 1.

"Totton is going to be a wonderful game to finish off because it will give us some indication as to where we are,” said Claridge.

“By that time there won’t be any more trialists, it will all be done.”