New St Neots Town manager Dennis Greene speaks exclusively to The Hunts Post

ALTHOUGH pre-season training is all geared towards the first game of the season, there are different stages that you work through.

In the first couple of games we were looking to improve the players’ fitness, and then beginning to work on our shape.

In the past week we’ve started to focus on performance, and went into the games against Farnborough Town and Arlesey Town hopeful of a result. We managed to take two wins from the games, which has made for a good spirit in the squad.

We probably didn’t expect to be so comfortable in the two games, given the strength of the opposition, but it has been encouraging.

This week, though, is the week that the players need to make their case for a first-team spot.

We’ll play four times in eight days, and everyone will get their chance, so it’s up to them to make it count.

I’ve been impressed with the way the players have adapted to the different formation.

We’ve tried 4-5-1, merging into 4-3-3, and we always have the 4-4-2 that worked so well last season in our back pocket. It’s important to be flexible when you come up against different opposition.

We’ve got a very strong squad of around 18 or 19 players, but only 11 can play at once, so this week will be a big one for the players.

They know we have a good chance of winning the league this season, and they all want to be part of it.

But there’s still a lot of football to be played before we get to that first game.