AVENUE skipper Simon Ainge insists the club can recover from their poor start to the season in National League North and believes that his side will be challenging for promotion next May.

The Horsfall outfit, who had to wait until their eighth game for a first league win, still sit in the relegation zone despite being unbeaten in three.

But former Bantams, Halifax and Guiseley centre back Ainge is convinced they will start to get the rub of the green and rediscover the form they showed last season from January onwards.

"Obviously it has not been the start that we wanted and we've got a stronger squad than last season," he said.

"It took us a while to settle, with the new players coming in over the summer, and the new manager has us playing a different style and that took some adjusting to.

"I thought we played well towards the end of pre-season and we were all really looking forward to getting started.

"We played Alfreton Town, a side who had just come down from the Conference, in our first game and we were cruising at 2-0 but we only ended up with a point after they got a penalty in injury time.

"The games against Nuneaton and Fylde were very close and we were unlucky not to get something at Harrogate.

"Then we got our first win and against a side who were fighting for their lives, so we've proved over the last couple of weeks that things are settling down and that we have the ability and the fight."

For Ainge and his team-mates, the battle for points is on hold this weekend as they head to the north east for an FA Cup second qualifying-round tie at Consett – but the captain insists promotion is the main goal.

He said: "When I signed for the club last year, from Christmas on it was promotion form and we lost one or two games in 17. It was an amazing effort from everyone at the club.

"It's good that we've got the run of bad results out of the way early on because there are plenty of games left.

"We can go on an unbeaten run and get three or four wins in there and you'll see a massive difference in the table.

"I'm not the type to settle for us being down at the wrong end of the table. I want to be battling at the top end and pushing for promotion.

"We have enough ability and strong characters in the squad and we will be going for the play-offs at least."