PRETENDERS to the Sydenhams Wessex League crown had better beware.

David Malone is back on board at Winchester City and says the FA Vase holders are in "bullish" mood and making promotion their number one priority.

To prove it, they have already started recruiting players again. Ex-Eastleigh defender/midfielder Robbie Chamberlain has joined from Basingstoke Town and they have at least four other irons in the fire ahead of tonight's home game against Hamworthy United.

For the moment Malone, who quit as director of football and vice-chairman in mid-November, has no specific title. That will be decided at an extraordinary general meeting on January 27.

What is clear, however, is that he will make the playing side his chief priority, leaving other members of the newly-formed committee to concentrate on getting the ground up to scratch for Ryman football by the April 1 deadline.

But Malone has warned City that if, for whatever reason, off-field affairs are not properly addressed, he would have no hesitation quitting again, this time for good.

He said: "If other people don't do what they say they're going to do, be it sorting out financial issues or the ground, then I won't be here next season - and that's a promise."

There have been rumours doing the rounds that Winchester have a large tax bill to settle, but Malone said: "The issues that need to be addressed are not other people's business, but everything - including the finance and the tax situation - is manageable.

"The FA have clarified what we need to do to get our ground up to standard and 90 per cent of it was done last year. The main work left is additional toilet facilities, an extra turnstile and another 75 seats, which would either require a new stand or extending the existing one."

City continue the defence of the Vase at Bridgwater Town on Saturday week (January 22), but Malone stressed: "Much as we'd love to retain the Vase and will make every effort to do so, our main priority is winning the league.

"From now on there's going to be no more negative talk. Normal service has been resumed.

"Hardsy (manager Neil Hards) is enthusiastic again and, even though we've lost Mark Blake to Eastleigh, there's still no one in this league with a better squad than we've already got."

On the subject of Chamberlain's signing, Malone said: "I haven't seen enough of him to make a judgement yet, but I see him as a centre-back more than anything else."