After winning the NSL Division One title back in April the management team's main focus was to make sure we kept the same squad together and we are happy to be able to say we have only lost one player from last season's squad, with one other stepping up into our first team squad. We wish Lewis all the best at Selston and hope Toby can solidify his place in the first team squad. Luckily we have managed to recruit Jacob and Bernard, both will be in the squad for Saturday and definitely will strengthen our options in really important areas of the pitch. We also welcome back Robert, who missed all of last season through injury, and Dan who only played twenty minutes last season before breaking his leg. Both were really important players in previous seasons and are back and looking sharp ready for the new campaign.

It was also important for me to keep the management team together, happily Rob, Steve and Shep have all signed up for another season.

We have had a long pre season, managing to playing nine games against some really tough opponents, mostly from Step 7. The squad have acquitted themselves really well in all the games, with 20+ players available for most games the fight for the 11 starting shirts and to make the 16 has been great to see. Every game created headaches (all be it good headaches!) for the management team as players impressed time and time again. It was clear that a lot of the players had worked hard during the off season to come back in great shape ready in hit the season running.

We are under no illusions that the step up to the Premier Divison will test us in ways we haven’t yet experienced, we will come up against better players, more organised teams with more experienced players but I know for a fact that while we won’t win every game the lads will never shirk the challenge and they will all leave everything out on the field in an attempt to get the best possible result for the team.

I am proud of what the team has already achieved and look forward to seeing what they can do in what is 95% of the squads first taste of Step 7 football!