CHALFONT St Peter manager Danny Edwards says it’s time to start aiming higher after admitting a third season of consolidation in the Southern League Central Division is on the cards.

Although it’s only January, his team are heading for a mid-table finish and he insits the club now have to start raising their ambitions.

He said: “We know we’re not going to go up this season and with the two teams at the bottom, we’re confident we’re not going down either.

“We’ve been in the league for two and a half years and stabilised, like the chairman asked. Now it’s important we kick and try to take the next step to get into the top six.”

To build some momentum for a top-six challenge next season, Edwards has challenged his players to pick up 35 points from their remaing 19 games.

They have managed only 27 from their first 23, but he believes that ratio will improve once the goals start flowing again.

He said: “We’re playing well, we’re just not scoring goals. Scott Fitzgerald has 14 but the next highest is on four.

“As a team we’ve got 25 goals in 23 games and that’s just not good enough. Our defensive record is fine, but if you’re scoring one goal a game you can’t expect to be anywhere other than where we are.”

Saturday’s 2-2 draw with AFC Hayes was a case in point.

Romaine Walker and Alan Hedley gave them a 2-0 lead after 25 minutes but a host of other good chances went begging before they were duly punished.

Edwards said: “They had two chances in the first half and scored two goals. You walk in at half time scratching your head, wondering how that is possible.

“We’ve now taken four points from nine over Christmas and it could have been more, but since November we’ve won three, drawn two and lost two.

“It’s not a bad run, but we’ve had the opportunity in games to kick on and turn it into very impressive form.”

On Saturday they go to Slough.