Joint Holbeach United boss John Chand is confident that his much-fancied side will make a winning start to the new UCL Premier Division season.
The Tigers are one of just six UCL sides to begin their campaign this weekend, with Peterborough Northern Star their hosts on Sunday (11am).
The unorthodox nature of the kick-off is down to a Groundhop Day initiative in the Peterborough area, with the other two UCL Premier Division fixtures involved being Deeping Rangers v Harborough Town (Friday, 7.45pm) and Yaxley v Long Buckby (Saturday, 11am).
Chand, who will be in the dugout alongside co-chief Graham Drury, told The Voice that defeat isn’t an option for his promotion-chasing charges.
“I’ll be honest, an 11am start on a Sunday isn’t ideal,” said the former UCL Premier Division title winnner. “These lads like to go out for a drink on a Saturday night.
“But I trust them totally to prepare correctly and we have no concerns.
“I never read too much into pre-season, but I’m quite confident with what I’ve seen from the lads.
“Obviously we’ve laid our cards on the table and stated that we’re looking to be among the top sides going for promotion.
“For me, it’s important that we don’t lose our first game. It’s not the easiest fixture first up, though.
“PNS look to have had a very good pre-season and are shaping up to be one of the better teams.
“But we have to focus on ourselves. I want us to start well and get on a roll.”
The Tigers have no selection worries ahead of the curtain raiser, but are expected to name Nick Conroy as their number one keeper for the season after Tom Roberts moved to Pinchbeck United.
