Bermuda Hogges coach Maurice Lowe is confident of his side improving on last season’s sixth-place finish although he is cautious about their play-off ambitions.Hogges achieved their highest ever position in the Premier Development League (PDL) last term, winning four and drawing three of their 16 matches.Considering this season’s squad looks stronger than 12 months ago, Lowe, who replaced Scott Morton as boss last summer, believes Hogges are more than capable of another mid-table finish.Among the newcomers are Dandy Town midfielder Jamal Swan, Robin Hood schemer Drewonde Bascome and ex-Vancouver Whitecaps defender Tyrell Burgess, who played for Hogges in 2010.Veterans Khano Smith and John Barry Nusum are also expected to feature in an effort to remain match fit ahead of this summer’s Caribbean Cup.“We’re definitely looking at the play-offs but if we’re honest with ourselves we’re not quite at that level yet,” said Lowe, who also coaches First Division BAA Wanderers.“We’re looking to win at least half of our matches and make a push for the play-offs later in the season.“I’m very pleased with the turn-out (in training) and the players we have been able to put together. Most of last season’s players are returning and we also have lots of new exciting players who are under the age of 23.”Hogges made a horrific start to last season, failing to win any of their opening seven games, with Lowe admitting they must be quicker out of the blocks this time around.They kick-start their PDL campaign against New Jersey Rangers at home next Friday, a fixture Hogges won 3-0 last season.“We didn’t get off to a good start last season, losing a match we should have won against Reading United at home,” said Lowe, who will again be assisted by Morton and Gary Darrell.“That started the season on a bad note for us, so we will definitely be looking to make a winning start and try and build some early momentum.”Hogges campaign will be partly used to prepare Bermuda’s senior national team players for the Caribbean Cup, which serves as a qualification tournament for the Concacaf Gold Cup.The biennial tournament will be held in Cayman from August 25 to 29, with the two top teams from each group qualifying for the next stage of the competition. Bermuda have been drawn with Cayman, Bahamas and Haiti.Lowe will also blood several Under-20 internationals ahead of their pre-World Cup qualifiers in Puerto Rico, where they will play the hosts, Haiti and Barbados from July 23 to 31.“This summer will be a busy one for us as we have the Under-20 World Cup qualifiers, the Under-17 World Cup qualifiers and the Caribbean Cup as well,” Lowe said.“I don’t think many, if any, of the Under-17s will be part of the Hogges squad, but you’ll definitely see some of the Under-20 players featuring.“This season’s going to be a balancing act: it’s preparation for the competitions this summer, but we also want to do well in the league.“We want to build on last season and peak at the right moment for the international competitions.”It remains unclear how much involvement BFA youth director Devarr Boyles will have during the upcoming Hogges campaign after being made redundant as effective of May 31.The BFA were forced to lay off Boyles, financial controller Gideon Kigotho and programme developer coordinator Ian Rawlins, having had their annual grant slashed from $3 million to a meagre $400,000 in recent years.“Devarr’s input would be a tremendous loss for us, but, Devarr being Devarr, he is still helping out in every area and he’s very supportive of us,” said Lowe.