Chairman Lee Carter today revealed how close he came to quitting the AFC Telford United hotseat – admitting his Football League ambition finally tempted him to stay.

Carter, who led Telford out of the non-League wilderness after the old club went bust in 2004, had long set his sights on guiding the Bucks to the top tier of non-League football.

The popular chief has been the club’s figurehead throughout its dramatic seven-year rise from obscurity and seriously considered stepping down after promotion was achieved with the emotional play-off final success against Guiseley last month.

But elevation to the Conference Premier has whetted his appetite for a new challenge, and convinced him the club can go further.

“I was reasonably close (to standing down) but that was essentially me thinking that the limit of my ambition was the Conference,” he said.

“But it’s a great challenge now we are there and a wonderful motivator to be able to pit our wits against the likes of Stockport and Lincoln.

“There are some established football clubs in there with fantastic histories and traditions.

“We want to build a Football League club though, and I know we can do it.

“The town is ready to host League football. It will take a little bit of time but we can do it.”

Carter accepts that the first season in the Conference Premier will be all about consolidation.

But he is keen to see the club conduct itself in the right way, on and off the pitch.

“We want to go in there and at least establish ourselves with a reputation similar to what Telford United had,” he said.

“They had a good reputation in the Conference, having been founder members.

“They always went about their business in a dignified way and we want to do that.”

By CHRIS HUDSON