Essendon captain Jobe Watson has revealed the playing group were taken aback by the support shown by its fans throughout the difficult 2013 season.

Speaking at the unveiling of the new True Value Solar Centre, Watson was quick to praise Bombers supporters for their loyalty and dedication to the red and black.

“The loyalty that our fans showed to the football club and, us as the playing group this year was outstanding. We want to build on that and I think it’s really important to do so,” Watson said.

“The support we got from them this year contributed to the fact that the club break didn’t break under the enormous stress.

“The playing group didn’t break and the fans didn’t go away and this is something that the Essendon Football Club as a brand can now build on.

“We want to be a competitive side again and we want to restore some of the faith with our supporters.”

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Watson said there was an air of excitement amongst the playing group with both the relocation to Melbourne Airport and the start of the pre-season campaign.

“It’s the time of year where everyone is excited... Pre-season is always exciting,” Watson said.

“There’s genuine excitement throughout the whole football club because of the new facility and the new faces in the playing group and coaches. You walk around and it’s infectious.”

The captain called upon his teammates to prepare for an intense pre-season campaign, not shying away from the fact that the club wanted to continue to be a competitive force in the competition.

“We won 14 games last year but we still want to be a more competitive team than what we were,” he said.

“Whether that means we’ll finish higher on the ladder, who knows, but that is our goal. We just want to do things better than what we did 12 months ago.

“Through recruiting Brendon and now Paul Chapman, we’ve tried to add some experience to the list... We now have the opportunity to present for 2014 and we have goals ahead of us.”

After losing best friend Scott Gumbleton to Fremantle during the off-season, Watson joked there had been tears between the pair.

“He was crying, but I was fine. We’ll always remain friends, but it is part of the game and everyone here wishes him the best for his career.”