There is no pressure on the Workington Reds players ahead of the start of the new season, says boss Dave Hewson.

Reds begin a new Evo-Stik Northern Premier League programme at home to Stafford Rangers on Saturday (ko 3pm).

And although Hewson is keen to see an improvement on their finishing position from last season, he insists they just need to play their own game without pressure.

“There is no pressure on the lads in terms of what is expected of them,” said Hewson. “We just want to have a better season than the last, in terms of how we tailed off.

“We want to be up there competing with the bigger teams, higher up the table and I hope that’s what we can do.”

Hewson admitted it is tough to gauge who their biggest competition will be this term as squads have changed over the close season. And he is also wary of which team could be the ‘surprise package’.

“I think the teams that have come up are going to be strong, with the money and players they have,” he added.

“Teams like South Shields will be good and I know that Buxton are going to be a strong and competitive outfit this season.

“But it is hard to predict as there are always surprise packages that you don’t expect.

“Last season nobody expected Grantham to be there but they were there at the start of the season and still there at the end.

“In the first few weeks results can be bizarre with anyone beating anyone. I don’t think the league really take shape until around Christmas.”

Hewson said he was looking forward to getting the season under way at Borough Park and being back on the touchline, after missing the latter part of last season through illness.

“I am looking forward to getting going, especially after missing so much of last season,” he said.

“I just want to get started and get the season under way. Every game will be difficult but we are going into it confidently.”

Hewson and joint manager Lee Andrews have reshaped their team during the close season and it has a completely new look for 2018/19.

In have come the experienced Jason Walker and Niall Cowperthwaite, while Kieran Maguire and Lewis Tidy are set to make the next step up in his career.

And they also look to have unearthed a real talent in Brad Hubbold who has been outstanding in pre-season.

Walker has already proved his goal-scoring worth in the build-up to the news season while Cowperthwaite, son of Barrow legend Colin Cowperthwaite, has suffered with injury problems for two years but is looking to get back to regular football with his former club.

But they are still missing several regulars who are recovering from, or waiting for, operations.

Scott Allison and Dan Wordsworth are back in light training but David Symington is unlikely to feature before Christmas, with Josh Calvert and Phil McLuckie still to go under the knife.

“Once we start to get these players back we will be a lot happier with the depth of the squad,” agreed Hewson.

“But we knew it would be this way at the start of the season – we just have to be patient.”