By John May

Daish wil oversee the next big step for Fleet

Gravesend & Northfleet boss Liam Daish insists the club must turn full-time to remain competitive.

Daish confirmed that Fleet's transformation would not affect players who did not wish to go full-time.

But he told BBC Sport: "It's a big step for us but everyone at the club is agreed we have to do it.

"You're now playing against clubs from halfway up the Conference who are full-time and you have to be prepared to up the ante."

Daish is at the end of his first half-season stewardship at Gravesend.

I think we'll see a difference next year when I have a full-strength squad Fleet boss Liam Daish Fleet given League approval

The former Havant & Waterlooville boss was something of a surprise choice to succeed Andy Ford - who had shocked Fleet with his resignation in December - but guided them to mid-table respectability.

"When I came in we still needed to get a few points on the board but we managed to do that and were safe quite early on.

"The end of the season did drag on a bit for us. We were down to the bare bones of a squad with 14 fit players and a schedule that meant we were sometimes playing four times a week against a lot of sides that were going for play-off spots.

"Some of the lads were running on empty but it did give me glimpse at some of the sides looking at the play-offs."

That glimpse has given Daish a distinctive feel-good air about next term.

Ford quits as Fleet manager

"We played some of the play-off candidates with a depleted team and to be honest, if they're play-off teams, then we're not that far behind them.

"I think we'll see a difference next year when I have a full-strength squad where if a player is injured we have somebody who can come in and do an equally good job."

But in order to do that, former Cambridge and Coventry defender Daish also knows he will have to compete for the best players with bigger clubs.

Even the Conference has its financial pecking order, as Daish acknowledges.

"Right across football at the moment from the Premiership downwards, the top clubs are the ones with the bigger crowds, the biggest backers and the bigger finances. That's what we're up against.

We're ambitious and we want to be pushing for the play-offs next season Liam Daish Essandoh released by Gravesend

"The Conference is getting more competitive on and off the field and it's hardest at this stage of the season when we're competing to sign players against those clubs who can offer them more.

"All we can do is concentrate on doing our own thing in our own way and within our own budget

"We're ambitious and we want to be pushing for the play-offs next season," says Daish, hence the rationale to take the big step into converting the Kent club into a full-time operation.

At the same time, though, Daish will not cut his nose off to spite his face and jettison any players who might be uncertain at making the plunge, those who hold down good jobs under Fleet's current part-time regime.

Daish said: "I'm looking to sign full-time players, but I'm not going to dismiss somebody who perhaps could not afford to go full-time on what we would offer them.