Forest Green Rovers’ summer signing Ryan Inniss is very ambitious.

That’s one of the reasons why he was signed on a two-year-deal, of course, and the 28-year-old former Charlton Athletic defender is certainly looking to hit the ground running with his new club.

Ask him what his aims are for the upcoming season and the 6ft 6in centre-half says without a moment’s hesitation: “I don’t see anything less than promotion. With the players we’ve got I think that has to be the aim.”

After last season’s relegation from League One, a speedy return to that level is certainly something that the club’s supporters will be hoping for, even allowing for the shock departure of previous manager Duncan Ferguson in July, and Inniss is most definitely up for the challenge.

“I’m a winner, I’m a leader,” he said. “I see it as my job to rally the troops around me. I’m intensely competitive.”

That competitive nature has got him in trouble with referees over the years – he was shown a red card four times while playing for Charlton last season, although one was rescinded – but he insisted: “I’m not a bad lad.”

He’s also had his fair share of injuries during his career, but Forest Green fans will be encouraged that he played more than 40 games for Charlton last season.

Inniss was at Charlton for three seasons and at Crystal Palace for seven seasons before that, although he made just two appearances for them, spending much of his time on loan at clubs as diverse as Dundee, Newport and Yeovil.

He also played a couple of games on loan for Cheltenham Town way back in 2013 when Mark Yates was manager with his then central defensive partner Steve Elliott describing him as “a typical modern-day centre-half – tall, athletic and aggressive”.

Inniss remembers his previous time in Gloucestershire, although he adds with a laugh: “It was a long time ago, almost a different lifetime, but it’s a lovely part of the world.”

He’s right there, of course, and he should soon feel at home, even though the Stroud Valley is very different from London where he was born and bred.

He went out on loan 10 times during his time with Crystal Palace and he said: “I know how to settle into a new club, I’ve done it a lot of times.”

And while he’s clearly adaptable off the pitch, he’s adaptable on it too.

“I will play wherever I’m needed,” he said. “I’m right-footed but I can play on either side of a defensive two. I can also play on either side if we play a three at the back.

“I think we played with four different systems at Charlton last season, I’m versatile.”

And while he’s obviously big and strong at the back, he also wants to be a threat in the opposition’s penalty area too.

He’s scored just six in 185 games in all competitions and he added: “I’d like to add goals to my game.”

Wouldn’t he just love to score goal number seven in the opening League Two game of the new season at home to Salford City on Saturday 5^th August!