The Whites lost out in the League One play-off final to Doncaster Rovers last season, having started the season with a 15-point deduction for financial problems.
But Bates is confident the Yorkshire side, who begin the new season by visiting Scunthorpe on Saturday, can go one better this time rond.
"The fact that we started last season 15 points behind everyone else wasn't an excuse, but it did create a siege mentality and limited expectations," he told the Yorkshire Post:.
"We're back on a level playing field this season and we've got a manager who's been in charge for seven months and who is well and truly settled in.
"He seems happy with his backroom team and his squad, and everything is in place for us to move forward. We need to get promotion.
"But I don't feel any pressure and I'm not putting the manager under pressure either."