Tough start for Worksop Town as they head for Stockton Town opener

The Tigers did the double over Stockton last season, but it was the Anchors that had the last laugh as they finished fourth last campaign.

And Parry is excited ahead of the start of the season.

He said: “I think both managers probably thought it could have been a little nicer when we looked at the fixture list, but you have to play everyone twice and I have said many times that I don’t look at the league table until Christmas where you can get a good gauge of it.

“For us, it is a tough test against a very tough side and it’s one we’re looking forward to.

“We want to get on the road and play against a side that I see as a definite top-five challenger and test our wits against them, and we will go toe-to-toe with them and see what they have as much as they’ll be wanting to see the same from us.

“It is a fresh season with fresh challenges, and you can forget last season’s performances against them, and I went on record both times and said that they would finish in the play-offs, and they were the best side that I thought we played last season.

“There will be a lot of nerves about, and expectations will be looming over both sides, and it is just about getting the first game out of the way and getting the first 90 minutes in the bank and hopefully, we can bring some joy to the supporters who will join us on Saturday.”

The Tigers concluded their pre-season schedule with a 5-1 victory over Huddersfield Town’s B Team on Tuesday night.

Worksop played a rotated side in the first-half before fielding a Reserve side in the second period, with Parry praising the club’s pathway.

“We mixed it up and in the first-half, we gave lads some more minutes that needed it with most getting 45 minutes and the two trialists and Val [Nathan Valentine], who’s been away for a big chunk of our pre-season, got through 90 minutes,” added Parry.

“The biggest positive was down to Laurie [Griffin] and the Reserves for how they conducted themselves in the second-half against a full-time academy.

“It is vital that we have a flow of kids coming up and challenging the first team and building our own crop of Worksop lads and Laurie is doing a fantastic job with them and you could see that with the performance that they looked better than a full-time outfit this evening.”