Ahead of Saturday’s league opener, away at Hitchin Town (3:00 KO), manager Paul Smith has spoken about the fixture, provided a squad update and looked ahead to the season. He begins with a mention of Thursday night’s forum…
“Last night, we welcomed fans, directors and volunteers to an open training session and forum. It was brilliant to see such a fantastic turn out. It goes to show just how far the club has come in such a short space of time.
“The pitch and ground look amazing, and I’d like to thank all those volunteers and helpers that have worked tirelessly over the summer to get it looking as well as it does. The players, staff and I appreciate all your hard work, and it doesn’t go unnoticed.
“Here we are, on the eve of the first game of the season, and we can’t wait. Pre-season, although necessary, can be tough.
“Lots of sessions, meetings and games with nothing on them can become a grind towards the end, so we are all delighted to be up and running tomorrow.
“We would have preferred a home game to begin with, but it is what it is, and we travel away to Hitchin in a tough opener.
“They too have a very new look squad as we do, so it will be a very interesting afternoon.
“We are definitely without Billy Shaw (holiday), Ethan Patterson (injured,) recent new signing Ryan Snape (suspended) and Aaron Bishop, who has decided to drop back down levels to enjoy his football playing with his friends.”
“Those apart, we have 17 players fit, ready and raring to go for the season’s opener.
“I’m sure there will be lots of ups and downs during the season – this being the biggest challenge of my managerial career to date. I couldn’t have wished to have put a better group of lads together though; they have been a joy to work with this summer and I’m excited to see what they can do, in a very competitive division.
“You, the fans, can play a huge roll in helping the boys achieve their goals. Your support, both home and away, will make a big difference.
“I look forward to seeing some of you down at Hitchin tomorrow and then at home, against Stratford, on Tuesday.”
