PINNING promotion hopes on a nine-year old scrap of paper might seem odd but it has not let down Worcester Raiders chairman Kevin Jenkins yet.

Having set up the club’s first senior side in 2009, Jenkins jotted down a timeline to plot a course through the leagues which his charges have dutifully stuck to.

The Claines Lane outfit is in the thick of the West Midlands (Regional) League Division One title race in the season the chief had planned for elevation from English football’s 11th tier.

Their hopes not only rest on succeeding on the pitch but ground improvements planned by prospective site owners and facility managers at the Worcestershire FA.

But with hopes high a revamp will be given the green light by planners, Jenkins could be another step closer to achieving his 16-year dream.

“Being better than Worcester City was as far as I got with it. I think that is (down for) something like 2025, so we have about six years,” said Jenkins.

“The piece of paper was just one of those crazy things you do. It was probably around October time in our first season in senior football, I sat down and thought ‘where could this club be in 10 years?’.

“I wrote it all down and my first objective was to be higher than Bromyard Town, which we have achieved.

“Now I want to be better than Pershore Town, then Malvern Town and after that comes Worcester City. It is all about the next target which is Pershore.

“It is nine years old and sits in my bedside cabinet at home. It is great, sometimes I look back on everything and chuckle to myself.

“It started with things like win the league, win the county cup. We have pretty much stayed on target and without putting the kibosh on anything, this is the year I have us to go up.

“Karl (Gormley, manager) and Chris (Cornes, assistant) are doing a fantastic job with the lads and who knows what we might do? We’re counting no chickens.”

Originally formed in 2001 to give opportunities to children in Warndon and Tolladine, Jenkins joined shortly after to coach the team his son played in.

He ended up leading two teams through various age groups before deciding to offer those too old for the junior ranks a chance to play men’s football.

“We have taken baby steps every year to get to where we are,” added Jenkins.

“It is a bit of a fairytale for a side that had to borrow a kit to play its first game on Pitchcroft.

“At the end of the season we won four trophies – the league, the county cup, the Junior Cup and the Nursing Cup – Anthony Smith (a player) said if we won the lot we should we should have a crack at the Midland Combination.

“We were the wrong side of the motorway so we joined the West Midlands (Regional) League and I remember walking into a pub shortly after. Someone told me we would get battered every week.

“Every time I see that guy now I say ‘we’re not getting battered’.

Asked about the chances of surpassing City, Jenkins replied: “Who knows?

“Everyone in the league is saying we will win it this season but we take it week by week.”

Fifth-placed Raiders trail the leaders by four points with up to five games in hand on the teams above them. Saturday's trip to third-bottom Telford Juniors (2pm) is their first league match for five weeks.