BARNTON are just hitting their straps at the right time, according to joint-manager Neil Murray.

The Villagers get their 2020-21 campaign underway in earnest tomorrow when they travel to Humberside to face Hall Road Rangers in the FA Vase.

Performances have been building during pre-season and notable friendly wins included one over neighbours Winsford United last week.

Now, the real thing gets underway and it cannot come soon enough for Murray and his fellow co-boss Liam Page.

“We were patchy at the start, looking at options but over the last few weeks they’ve settled and crucially they’ve adapted to our style of play on and off the ball,” he said.

“We are looking to see the lads go out and execute our game plan with and without the ball.

“We’ve worked on an ethos and will be looking for them to apply that in a competitive format now.”

“Having the right mentality is massive, the know what level of energy and intensity is required at this club and we have confidence that we’ve got the right characters in place now to execute this.”

The game will see several players make their debuts but one absentee will be club captain Sam Houghton, who has left ahead of the new season.

A new skipper will be confirmed in due course but Murray is happy with the options at his and Page’s disposal.

“As a management group, we identified that we needed to strengthen in certain areas and we’ve worked on a number of key targets and have thankfully brought them into the club,” he said.

“They’ve had time to settle into the team and are going to be key for us.

“We’ve had a look at a number of targets we are always looking to strengthen, but right now we are more than happy with the squad and feel it is an improvement on what we had in March.”

Beyond Saturday, Barnton’s North West Counties League First Division South campaign gets underway on October 3 with a trip to Maine Road.