Hinckley AFC manager James Jepson says his side are raring to get back on the pitch ahead of their first friendly of pre-season.
After a month of intense training sessions, some in the oppressive heat of recent weeks, the match action starts with Saturday’s Simon Blyth Memorial Cup match against Heather St John’s.
Jepson has been full of praise for his new-look squad, but says they can’t wait to get back on the pitch. He said: “The boys have trained really well.
“They’ll thank John and myself at the end of the season for how fit they’re going to be.
“We’ve obviously had a lot of new faces but the lads are starting to get used to each other now.
“We’ve only just introduced the football side to the training but the lads are itching to get back out there. The boys are where we want them to be at this stage ahead of Saturday’s game, and we’re looking forward to it.”
Jepson now has around 15 players confirmed as signed with the club, with others set to join in the coming days and weeks before the competitive season kicks off.
He says he is happy with the way squad is shaping up.
“We’ve signed some quality from leagues above, and we’ve also signed a lot of youngsters which bodes well for the club going forward.
“Hopefully there are perhaps two or three more to come in, who we’re talking to and have been for the last three or four weeks, but we’ve got to take our time.
“What we don’t want to do is commit to signing 20 players and then have people leave, or have to release them. We want to get the right mix.
“There could be one or two big names still to come in but we’re happy with the way things are going at the minute.”
He also points at the blend of youth and experience in his side, combining the rawness and excitement of the younger players with the know-how into what he hopes will be a winning formula.
“We’ve got pace in the side, that’s a fact. We’ve also got the experience and it’s vital we have that, especially with the experienced guys we’ve got who are used to winning leagues.
“They’re used to winning, and regardless of their age they’re willing to listen, they’re here for the right reasons and they want to improve.
“Regardless of their age, they want to learn. We’ve signed a striker who’s 38 and this is all new to him, in terms of how we do things and how professional we are. He’s learning as well.”
