ALAN Walters hopes Slough can challenge for promotion next year having finished third in the Berks, Bucks & Oxon Premier this season.

The Greenies have undergone a transformation under Walters this term, exceeding his target of a top-six finish.

“We wanted to change the culture at the club and finish in the top six, but I genuinely think we’re in the top three sides in this league,” the head coach told the Observer.

“We’ve put a lot of young players in the team and our discipline has improved. We took on a new gameplan and the players’ attitude has been fantastic.

“We’re most probably a 70-minute side at the moment but we will work on that. There’s a lot of work we can do in the off-season and the players have identified that fitness levels need to improve in the summer.

“The management team will be supported by a couple of new coaches. We want to attract new players to become a top side and push for promotion next season.”

Slough suffered a narrow 26-24 defeat away at Chesham in their final game of the campaign, though the derby match did not lack for passion on Saturday.

Colby Short, Ben Ambrose and Ben Farrelly scored the tries for The Greenies, while Max Miles booted all three of his conversions plus a penalty.

Slough Observer:

PHOTO: Max Miles booted three conversions and a penalty in the defeat to Chesham.

“It was a brutal game, that’s the best way to describe it. It came at the end of the season but was very competitive,” said Walters. “It was played to a good standard with a lot of tackles flying in and the rucks were outstanding from both sides.

“The game was played to a great level but unfortunately we lost with the final kick of the game. We had the chance to win but the final kick came back off the post.

"We were slow to start off with and it took 20-25 minutes for us to get going. We ran the game for half hour before we let them back in.

"Our performance deserved better but both teams will say that. I think we did end up pushing for the win but individual mistakes cost us."