FC CLACTON’S Jake Plane believes his club can challenge in the top-half of the table next term.

The Seasiders brought the curtain down on their Thurlow Nunn League premier division campaign with a 2-1 victory against Haverhill Borough on Saturday, followed by Monday’s 2-0 defeat at home to Stanway Rovers.

It meant they finished 18th, with 14 wins, nine draws and 23 defeats from their 46 games.

Now they are preparing for a well-earned breather before coming back and striving to improve in 2018/19.

“I feel I’ve had a good season and it’s been a positive one from the team’s point of view, too,” Plane told the Gazette.

“It’s been a case of fine margins.

“We know we’ve conceded too many sloppy goals and sometimes we miss opportunities to score more.

“But if we keep working on things at both ends of the pitch - being tighter and not switching off but also taking our chances - I really believe we can do much better next season.

“Everyone has stuck together and we can’t wait for next year now.

“We should be looking for a top-half finish and then we can build from there.

“That’s a realistic goal, as far as I’m concerned, and everyone in the dressing room feels the same way.

“We just need to stay switched on and concentrate for 90 minutes.”

Plane finished as top-scorer with 14 goals - two more than nearest rival Kevin Coyle, who had fired himself into the reckoning with a hat-trick in Clacton’s recent 4-3 victory at Saffron Walden Town.

In the process, Coyle became the club’s all-time leading scorer (in their guise as FC Clacton), replacing Aaron Condon, now of Brightlingsea Regent.

“It’s been good competition between the two of us,” said Plane, 23.

“I’m happy with my tally.

“I set myself a target of ten at the start of the season and then moved it to 15.

“To get so close is still a decent achievement.”

Plane and Billy Wales scored the goals against Haverhill.