NORTHWICH’S first-team players will be fitter at the start of the new season than they have been in previous years.

A derby with Winnington Park on the opening afternoon is an added incentive for Blacks to avoid their now-customary slow start to a league campaign, according to vice-chairman Rollo Hawkins.

“It’s great to be playing each other so early,” he said of a head-to-head with the Moss Farm outfit’s neighbours.

“The clubs requested it, and it’s worked out well.

“Will it focus attention? Yes, definitely.

“That said, we’d planned already to change our approach to pre-season this year.

“We’ve talked about fitness. By that, I mean match-fit. Have we been contact-fit in recent seasons?

“Judging by results, and also the number of injuries we’ve suffered, the answer is ‘probably not’.”

Northwich will host Crewe and Nantwich, their conquerors in last season’s edition, in the Cheshire RFU Vase last eight before they cross the fence to play Park at Burrows Hill on Saturday, September 5.

Hawkins said he hopes to fit in an additional friendly too.

Blacks’ senior players gather for pre-season this week, when they will meet Martin Poste – the club’s new director of coaching.

The former Harlequins trainer will act as a mentor to the likes of player coach Sam Naylor junior and Mike Penny, who is back to lead the second team in the North West Intermediate League.

“We need to be better-organised, and will be,” said Hawkins.

“We’ve met already to look at each practice session individually, with a view to starting as we mean to go on.

“Coaching will be structured to that the benefits flow down through the club over the course of a season.

“Our overall objectives haven’t changed though; we want to play at a higher level again.”

Last season, Northwich lost four of their first five matches in South Lancs/Cheshire Division One.

During the previous campaign, in the same section, Blacks were beaten in their opening three fixtures.

Meanwhile in 2013, when they were relegated from Midlands One West, they won only once before mid-October.

Hawkins said: “Last year was slightly different; we were more worried about losing games from a winning position.

“[Champions] Altrincham [Kersal] were better than everybody else, but we would have been a lot closer to them in the table had we not fallen short in those other matches, like away to Manchester.”

Northwich will complete September with home games against Sefton and promoted Liverpool Collegiate either side of a trip to West Park, who finished fifth last term.

They then visit Liverpool St Helens, runners-up last season to Altrincham.

The return game against Winnington, at Moss Farm, is scheduled for April 23.

To see the fixture list in full, click here.