Midfielder Scott Davies insists he would not have re-signed for Wealdstone if the National League South side were not ambitious enough to kick on in their second season at a higher level.

Davies joined the Stones midway through last season from Southern League Premier Division side Dunstable Town and become a key component in manager Gordon Bartlett’s side.

And after a 12th-place finish following promotion from the Isthmian Premier Division, Davies has stressed the importance of showing even greater ambition this time around.

He explained: “First and foremost it is just about getting fit and seeing how we fare in pre-season. From there, we have to make a judgment on how far we can go.

“We can’t just go through the motions and try to stay up again and I would not be at the club if they were not ambitious.

“So for now, we have to be looking at the play offs. But obviously our budget is significantly less than some teams in this division so that has to be taken into account,” mused Davies.

The Stones returned to pre-season training on Tuesday evening and although a niggle ruled the 27-year-old out of any involvement, the former Reading, Crawley Town and Oxford United man was in attendance to run the rule over the club’s latest batch of recruits.

Davies has already lined up a new challenge of his own for September after enrolling on a PFA-backed sports writing and broadcasting Open University course.

Stones teammate Jonathan North has a first-class degree in journalism and despite having offers from the Football League when he left Dunstable, Davies is not blinded by a will to return to the professional ranks.

He mused: “I played 59 games last season and I was probably at my happiest. I have had consistency and that will only help me as a player.

“I have spoken to a lot of people in the last few months who have asked if I have taken a backwards step but it does not faze me. You have to look long term, so for me it is getting as many games as I can and looking at what I am going to do when the football ends.”

He continued: “I know players who have spent their whole career in League One or League Two but still don’t have enough money to retire. Whilst I am playing semi-professionally I have that opportunity to explore other avenues and make myself financially stable.”