BARRY Town United manager Gavin Chesterfield says the club has the potential to be "whatever it wants to be," as he looks forward to the start of the new season.

Town are back in the top flight of Welsh football for the first time since the 2003 season, which marked the start of a dramatic period of decline which almost saw the club lose its league status.

But now, fresh from Division One promotion, Chesterfield says he can't wait to get underway for the new season.

Asked how he was feeling about the upcoming campaign, Chesterfield said: "Just excitement really.

"We've worked really hard since I've been at the club and the whole time we have been working towards this so we can't wait to start.

"Don't get me wrong, the workload has ramped up, the demands have certainly increased but those are all the things that we can't wait to be a part of," he said.

And Chesterfield believes that after their long hiatus from the Welsh Premier League, their time has now come to make their mark on Welsh football once again.

"If you look at the history of the club, it's always been successful. There have been peaks and troughs, as there are with any club, but I really think this club has earned its right to dine at the top table again."

The long-serving manager chose not to be drawn on specific ambitions for the club for this season, but said he feels that Barry is a club firmly on the up - something the fans have played a major role in helping it to achieve.

"We're in our first year back in the Premier League, so we just want to take it game by game,"said Chesterfield.

"We just see next year as an exciting opportunity and we'll see where it takes us, but I think that Barry has the potential to be whatever it wants to be."

"In previous years there were times when people in the area had lost an affinity with this club - I genuinely believe that. But now that it is community grounded at its very heart, people have developed that strong allegiance again.

"And we see it, in terms of the increase in crowds, when we have the academy games, when the kids are playing.

"Jenner Park is now the central sporting hub of the Vale and we are synonymous with Jenner Park."

With pre-season training now back underway and fixtures coming thick and fast, Chesterfield has been busy adding to the playing staff over the past couple of months.

Having brought in young winger Sam Jones and holding midfielder Clayton Green earlier in the Summer, Town have also added former Wales youth international Elliot Scotcher and ex-Southampton forward Kayne Mclaggon in recent weeks.

And whilst Chesterfield says he is satisfied with the squad at his disposal, he suggested there may yet be more new faces before the season begins.

"I'm really happy with what I've got at the moment, but I do think we need to strengthen with one or two extra and possibly add a bit more experience," he said.

"I won't sign someone for the sake of it. We make sure they've got the right character and they're the right fit for this club.

"When I identify an area we need to strengthen, the first thing we do is to look in-house, as in the development team, to see if there's anyone ready to step up.

"If that isn't the case, if they're not ready yet, then we look elsewhere. But to sum-up, if we go into the season with what we've got, I'd be happy."

Town are set to take on a full-strength Newport County side in a friendly on Tuesday, July 25, before beginning their season at home to Aberystwyth Town on Sunday, August 13.