CHALVEY (WMC) Sports manager Scott Young has played down talk that his team will start favourites for the East Berkshire Premier title.

Sports produced their best performance for two seasons when finishing as runners-up to champions The Lynchpin last year.

Young has overseen steady progression at Farnham Park, which has not gone un-noticed by many of their championship rivals.

In an exclusive interview with the Observer, Young admits he would be ‘chuffed to bits’ if Chalvey could re-claim top spot.

However, he is aware of the threat that The Lynchpin and previous winners Iver will pose to their ambitions this season.

Young said: “To finish as runners-up was very successful from our point of view. We can take a lot of positives from it.

“To finish 11 points clear of Iver was quite an achievement because they’re still a very good team.

“We were always playing catch-up with The Lynchpin. They were slightly out of our grasp and head and shoulders above the rest.

“I hope to go one better this season and if we win the league I’ll be absolutely chuffed.

“We’ve progressed but only time will tell and I don’t think any one player can stand out without his teammates.

“We’ve had two seasons of progression and people expect us to do better. It’s nice that people think we can win it.

“But the league is really tough. We know The Lynchpin will be strong and Iver will come back to be a force again.

“We will take each game as it comes and look for a top-half finish, and a few good cup runs.” In a surprise move, Chalvey stepped up their pre-season preparations with a clash with The Lynchpin on Saturday.

Chalvey never got going in the friendly as a new-look Lynchpin took a narrow lead into the half-time break.

Young saw his side improve after the break and Liam Nash levelled from close range to secure a 1-1 draw.

The match followed a 1-1 draw with Binfield Reserves, and then a comfortable 5-2 win against Berkshire County.

Chalvey take on Reading Football League club Marlow United at Gossmore Lane tomorrow (Saturday, 2pm ko) Young says he was disappointed with the performance against The Lynchpin, but stressed the importance pre-season results have on confidence.

He said: “From our point of view it was a little disappointing. I don’t think we played very well.

“We never got going or retained possession, and The Lynchpin missed opportunities to score. They could’ve gone 4-0 up.

“We certainly didn’t play as well as in the previous two friendlies, but the second-half was better.

“We were more competitive, retained possession and Liam scored his second goal of pre-season.” The Chalvey supremo added: “The positive is that, even though we weren’t at our best, we didn’t lose the game.

“You need to have tough games in pre-season and results and performances are just as important.

“If you take a good hiding, you will potentially lose players because they think they’re in for a hard season.” **PICK up a copy of the Observer, out now, for all the latest sports news and action including our exclusive East Berkshire League preview** **FOLLOW the Observer on Twitter at @Observer_sports**