DUNBAR RFC head coach Mark Coull is excited by the season ahead, and hopes to see improvements from his side.

Coull took over from Callum Low a year ago, and guided the side to a seventh-place finish in East Division 1 last term.

He is, though, hoping for more from his squad in the season to come.

He told Courier Sport: "Last season was a difficult one for us – we hardly had the same team out twice.

"It was a bit of a transition year – a lot of the experienced guys were unavailable because of work or other commitments, and it was my first year at the club too.

"I think we'll be a lot more settled this season, and I'm really looking forward to it."

Although the 28-year-old refused to be drawn on where he wanted to see the club's name on the league table next April, he said improvements on last season were key.

He added: "I think we definitely want to finish a lot higher than last year," while adding the competition in the division will be tough this term.

"Berwick have come back down and there's teams like Murrayfield Wanderers and Linlithgow who have made improvements, so it's not an easy league.

"North Berwick were very good last season, and I'm sure they'll be up there again."

Coull hoped his side could build on their home form to mount a challenge for the upper echelons of the table.

He said: "I think our home form was pretty good last season but it is important to win your home games.

"There are a lot of tough teams in the league."

The club's pre-season schedule means players returned to the training pitch on Saturday, with 'rugby training' to start in "a couple of weeks."

Their first game of the new campaign is a friendly with Leith, before fixtures with Musselburgh 2nd XV, Haddington and Lismore complete their pre-season schedule.

And Coull told Courier Sport he is "100 per cent looking forward to the year ahead."