TAUNTON Town start their Southern League challenge with a trip to new boys Wantage Town tomorrow (3pm).
The Oxfordshire club have been promoted to Town’s division after winning the Hellenic League title last season and will naturally be out to make a good impression on their league debut.
However the Peacocks will enter the season in confident mood themselves after finishing in eighth place last time out including a run of nine successive wins with which to finish the campaign, culminating with victory in the final of the Somerset Premier Cup.
Pre-season has also been encouraging with a draw against League One Walsall among the results, so Town approach the weekend in a positive frame of mind.
Manager Leigh Robinson remarked:”I am very confident that we have all the ingredients to have a very successful season.
"That said, there are numerous teams in the league that will be saying or thinking that and that have equally as good players as we have. Most likely success and failure for all teams in this division will be decided by who keeps key players fit, who can sustain their budget and who has the best togetherness in their squad.
"What I would say is that am fairly confident that this is the best Taunton team for many a year and provided we can keep people fit across the season we have a good chance.”
The Peacocks include summer recruits Brett Trowbridge from Weston-super-Mare and Joe Bushin from Bridgwater Town in the squad travelling east plus new signing Aidan Chainey from Tiverton Town who has trialled during pre-season.
The only absentees will be Rodney Marsh and Josh Wadham who are both injured.
Town will then be back in action on Tuesday evening when they visit Clevedon Town for another Southern League fixture before taking on North Leigh in their first home game of the season a week tomorrow.
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