You would have thought that Whitchurch Alport manager Luke Goddard would be wearing a smile the width of the Yockings Park pitch the way his new look side have met their pre-season programme head on.

Four wins and a very creditable draw against Wigan Athletic’s under 23 side have given Alport an almost perfect start before their Premier Division campaign begins a week on Saturday.

But, Goddard sports a decent poker face when it comes to talking about pre-season. “I’ve never been one to get too excited about successes or too despondent when it comes to disappointments in terms of results in pre-season. It gives us a chance to have a look at players in different positions and obviously hone match fitness. What I also want to do is find out whether the new players can gel with the ones that we had already, and I must admit I’ve been very pleasantly surprised at how quickly the new boys have settled in”.

Part and parcel of Goddard’s integration of his new players is to try and throw in a bonding session early doors. The recent 2-1 win at Conwy Borough gave Goddard the chance to demonstrate the togetherness he’s built around the club since his appointment in May 2016.

“About 14 or 15 lads stayed the night in Llandudno,” said Goddard. “It certainly opened their eyes to what Whitchurch Alport are all about. It’s not just about what we do on the pitch, it’s really important that these lads trust each other and will run through brick walls for each other once the season starts”.

The Alport Chief is still looking for new players but admits he already has a really strong squad, playing almost two different sides in the friendlies played so far. Cefn Druids (last night), Southport (Saturday) and Leek Town on the last day of the month are the only games left before the nitty gritty of a 38 game campaign begins in earnest.

“Defensively we are very well organised and in goalkeeper Dave Parton I believe we will have the best goalkeeper in the league. We were a bit concerned about being able to replace retiring stopper, Danny Read, but in Parton we’ve found a real gem who could easily have stayed playing at a step higher than ours. We have several players that have made the step down but all of them have settled really quickly, and have been impressed at the way we do things. I don’t normally make promises but when I came here I told our supporters I would give them a side that would be at the very least competitive. From what I’ve seen so far I believe that we have what it takes to complete in the Premier Division and maybe surprise a few”.

Alport entertain Ashton Athletic at home in the first ever game at step 5 a week on Saturday (August 4th).