Pitmen go south to renew rivalries

Stour, now managed by former Tividale and Alvechurch boss Ian Long, are heading to Hitchin Town.

The Pics, who still have Liam McDonald in charge after a strong end to last season, are also on the road – at Peterborough Sports.

Hednesford, though, who have moved over to the division from the Northern Premier start at home, welcoming Lowestoft Town to Keys Park.

And Pitmen chief Gary Hayward said: “We’ve done well.

“We’ve hit the targets we wanted player-wise.

“A few fell through the net, naturally, to go to National League and National League North clubs, so we wish them all the best.

“Ben Bailey is our club captain, and this year he should break the record for the most appearances for the club.

“We’ve also brought Danny Glover back to the club as a player-coach.

“He wants to get past 100 goals for the club and he’s on about 60 at the moment, so he’s looking to have a really good season.”

But what kind of test will Lowestoft pose? Well, Hayward admits it is difficult to know what to expect from them.

“To be honest, we do not really know a great deal about Lowestoft,” he said.

“We are not quite sure how they will set up but they are quite an experienced side.

“There’s always optimism at this time of year and they’ll be feeling good about themselves, as we are.

“As long as my lads are competitive, work hard and do what we ask of them, hopefully we’ll get the points.”

But Hayward has a key player missing for this clash.

“James Hurst is injured, and he’s a big player for us,” he added.

“He’s taken a knock to his knee. He’s a great player and has been a top pro over pre-season, but we won’t rush him back.”