Knights all set for new campaign

Pinchbeck United manager Lewis Thorogood says he’s hoping his side improves on their previous seasons as the United Counties League Premier Division campaign kicks off on Saturday.

The Knights begin their season with a trip to Ashby Ivanhoe.
Thorogood says he’s ‘satisfied’ with the squad he’s been able to put together considering ‘financial and geographical constraints’.
“I’m relatively happy,” he said. “It’s all about the new players gelling with the ones we have from last season and starting to get to know what we want to be and achieve this season.
“I’m quite happy with the players what with the financial and geographical constraints we have to work with.
“This week is all about doing the finishing work on a few bits and bobs.”
This year there’s two less teams in the UCL Premier with one team guaranteed to go up as champions and the next four to compete in a play-offs to determine the second promotion place.
Only one team will be relegated due to proposed reorganisation.
“I think the league this year is quite open,” Thorogood said. “I don’t look at it and see anyone that’s going to run away with it and a lot of the sides will take points off each other.
“The play-offs this year opens it up a bit more too and there’s more incentive for those teams in mid-table.
“The aim for this year is to keep improving.
“If you look at the last couple of years and two seasons ago we only stayed up after being reprieved, but last year we improved on that.
“I know it was only 16th of 20, but it was progression and that’s what we want to see going forward.
“Job number one is to get enough points to ensure safety and then job number two is ensuring we do better than we did last season.
“With the resources at our disposal I don’t think we’re going to push the top three but I would think we can pull off a few results that will get people sitting up and taking notice.
“We are a young, developing group though, many of the lads have two or three more years’ experience now and we’ll be looking for them to step up a bit and take responsibility in the games.
“It’s about working hard as a group and for each other and pushing each other on to the next level.”
It will be a difficult start with the season opening with three away games in seven days.
After Saturday’s trip to Leicestershire, the Knights are at Wisbech Town on Tuesday before the FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round visit to Maltby Main in Yorkshire.
“Wisbech are always a hard working team so we know that it’ll be a difficult game,” Thorogood continued. “Ashby were promoted through the play-offs from the Central Midlands League last season.
“Obviously they’ll be on a high from that success and excited about a new league while also wanting to start off well at home.
“It’ll be a difficult task for us but we’ve to go there and nullify their game.”