I would like to welcome all supporters back to Kenilworth Road to for our opening match of the 2010/11 Blue Square Bet Premier season.
I would also like to extend a warm welcome to the management, directors, officials, players and supporters of Altrincham and wish them all the best of success in the forthcoming campaign.
Our pre-season has gone as well as expected. It all begun when we took the group away to Portugal for what was a very useful exercise to test the players' fitness.
We returned from Portugal and embarked on a varied series of friendlies which helped us build-up the fitness of the players and test them for the kind of challenges we expect to face this season.
Reading into pre-season results is often foolish but to have lost just the once is a testament to the squad that we have built over the course of the summer.
We have also, thankfully, and very importantly, come through unscathed on the injury front.
Every manager across the land loves to have a squad of 20 players fully-fit and injury free, especially prior to the first game of the season.
I have frequently been asked 'do you know what your starting XI is for the Altrincham game?'.
The answer is, quite simply, yes I do, but both yourselves and the players not selected today, must not read too much into the selection policy for this afternoon's game.
As I have mentioned we have a squad of 20 players all capable of filling the 11 shirts up for grabs, and a glance at the fixture list sees us play seven times in the next four weeks: all those players will be required at some stage.
Our advantage of a strong squad has been built following our player procurement strategy this summer.
It has been incredibly successful and has meant we have secured the services of players with fantastic experience and ability which is proven at this level.
While we have also added a certain amount of spice by unearthing two hidden gems in Czech duo Zdenek Kroca and Pavel Besta.
We know that the season ahead will be a long and tough one and are all too aware of the money spent by a number of clubs in this division.
The league will be tougher than it was last season. It's not just ourselves that have strengthened which means we'll come up against good teams, good players and good managers.
It will be a massive challenge but it's something we're all looking forward too.
Pre-season is now over and the real thing starts today. The results and performances in our friendlies were pleasing but all of that counts for nothing this afternoon.
It will be a difficult proposition. Altrincham enjoyed a fine campaign last season and showed how much of a tough nut they are to crack when they came to Kenilworth Road last April and ground out a 0-0 draw.
I am sure we will face a similar test this afternoon and the onus will be on us to come out get our season off to a winning start.
Games like the one against Altrincham last season will no doubt crop up throughout the season and it's in games like that we need your support the most.
Last season your support was immense and I have no doubt it will be again as we embark on our 46 league fixtures between now and April.
Expectations will be high and we accept that but if we stick together throughout the course of the campaign then we will be a real force.
Enjoy the game and get behind the players.
Richard.
