Newly-promoted Altrincham have been tipped to win friends as well as points on their eagerly-awaited return to the National League next season.

As the promotion final celebrations began to subside and thoughts turned to making their mark on non-league’s top flight, manager Phil Parkinson stepped up his quest for new signings after vowing to ensure Alty did not become a yo-yo club.

The Alty boss is determined to establish his side as a force in the National League, rather than face another relegation fight, and he was backed to do it in style by co-chairman Bill Waterson.

"The way we play football is substantially different to the way a number of National League sides play," said Waterson. "So we will bring something the National League hasn’t necessarily got. I firmly believe we are going to be entertaining, and I think we are going to make a difference.

"This step back into the top division fits in with the strategic plan we unveiled three years ago, and the intention now is very much to keep moving forward and kick on to the next phase of the plan.

"The hard work starts here, but we are ready for that. We are about to launch the Academy, with assistant manager Neil Sorvel running it, ground improvements are getting under way this summer with work on the sponsors’ lounge and the creation of a fans’ zone and we are looking at how we can improve or extend our training regime to get the players into even better shape for facing the National League."

Waterson singled out centre-back Toby Mullarkey’s outstanding promotion final performance at Boston, after James Jones left to join Barrow, as an example of how the Parkinson philosophy has transformed Alty’s fortunes over the past three years.

"We have seen a conveyor belt of players coming to this club, learning under Phil and Neil and then moving on to greater things," he said. "But as we have also seen with Toby, players can move on to greater things by staying here. Toby can now call himself a National League player.

"I remember the first time I met Phil. I was blown away by his love and enthusiasm for the game, and I thought then he would make a big difference to the club. What a difference he and Neil have made; two promotions in three seasons.

"They are both ready to kick on with Altrincham, and I think they are going to do great things for us. I am really hopeful of that."