BRAINTREE Town chairman Lee Harding said he feels as assured with going into a new season with Brad Quinton at the Iron helm as he has with any manager for a long time.

The Iron chairman said the commitment he knows he will get from Quinton is making him feel confident for their return to the top flight of non-league football.

That will get under way when Braintree host FC Halifax Town at Cressing Road on Saturday (kick-off 3pm) and continues with a trip to Barnet on Tuesday and they are exactly the type of games that are filling Harding with excitement.

It is set to be a major step up for the Iron, but the way that Quinton led them up from Vanarama National League South as play-off champions last season and his dedication to the job in hand means Harding is looking ahead with confidence.

He said: “We head into the season as joint 20th favourites for the championship, which I always think is a better way to describe it than fourth favourites for relegation.

“Knowing Brad as I do, I know he will give us everything and won’t stop trying from the first day until the last day of the season.

“I am as comfortable with him going into the new season as I have been with any manager for a long long time.

“I’m also looking forward to it because, with the greatest respect to our friends we made last season, there is greater expectation going into games at places like Barnet and Chesterfield than going to places like Poole and Hungerford.

"We enjoyed our days out at Poole and Hungerford, but this is a level we had grown accustomed to and we’re pleased to be back.

“I’m very confident with us having Brad as manager.

“There are lots of reasons why he could struggle, but anyone who knows him, knows, yes he will make mistakes, but he will learn from them very quickly.

“My dad used to say that to make mistakes is human, but to make the same mistake again is to be a fool and Brad is certainly not a fool.

“Yes, there will be poor results along the way and disappointing performances, but we will learn from them and I’m as confident and upbeat as I have been for many years.

“I think we have the basis – as long as things come together that we are working on as a club – to put in place foundations for many years to come.

“That’s not just with the team and the management, but also with our facilities.

“Rather than being just an occasional visitor to the top flight, if we want to be established at this level and compete with the leading sides, then we do need those facilities that generate the income.

“That will allow us to attract the better players and to afford them.

“I don’t see why Braintree should have second-rate facilities and Braintree has to be second-rate to any club in the division.

“Towns like Rochdale or Accrington are no bigger or important than Braintree so why can’t Braintree compete with them.

“On a matchday, it’s only 11 versus 11 and that’s what I relish."