Newly-promoted Folkestone Invicta need to raise at least £20,000 to break even next season.

Life in the Ryman League, Premier Division will involve long away trips to Lowestoft, Leiston, Needham Market, Sudbury, Havant and Bognor among others.

Good players at this level will cost the club more as well and new chief executive Cliff Egan admits the year ahead will be "difficult financially" for Invicta.

He said: "We’ve got to raise more income. We’re going up into another league and we’re going to need to raise another £20,000 to keep our heads above water next season.

"We’re not travelling round the M25 any more and want to strengthen the squad.

"We’re talking to players at the moment and some of the figures we’re being quoted are way out of our league at this point in time.

"Whether that will be out of our league in three or four years’ time, that’s another matter but the club won’t put itself into financial jeopardy by paying what it can’t afford."

But that doesn’t mean Folkestone will lack ambition on the pitch. Mr Egan said: "We could just bob along in Ryman South and keep our heads above water but that’s not the will of the board or the club and I don’t think that would be fair on the players or supporters.

"We’ve got to work harder and try to raise some extra money to compete at that level. We all saw it last year with clubs like Burgess Hill just scraping out of (relegation) and they won the (South) league by a long way.

"Neil Cugley feels the players he’s got will compete and he’s signed the majority of last season’s players anyway so it’s about adding a little bit of cream to it."

Read the full story in the Folkestone & Hythe Express.