THE Evo-Stik First Division North kicks off this weekend with Kendal Town head coach Dave Foster looking forward to his side getting back to action after a promising pre-season campaign.

The Mintcakes start with a trip to Mossley on Saturday and will take heart from a string of impressive results, and more importantly at this stage, some good performances during the off season.

Kendal won five of their eight summer fixtures, and rounded off pre season with a strong display against Evo-Stik Premier side Workington.

Despite losing 3-2 on the day, Foster believes they were the better side for much of the game.

He said: "It was a good run out, they lost in the play offs last year, they're a talented side, and we played very well for large portions of the game. We were definitely the better side for a lot of it.

"We got back into the game twice and at the end I made a lot of changes as you have to in pre season to give people minutes and they've obviously taken advantage of that at the end with a set piece.

"But pre season has been pleasing. We have had some good results but as I've said to the lads the only one that counts is against Mossley on Saturday."

It has been a busy period of restructuring at the Pye Motors Stadium over the summer, with Foster now heading up a new management team and there has also been a host of incomings and outgoings among the playing staff.

It has been an impressive feat to perform so well during pre season, especially considering at the start of June there were just 10 players on the books.

But depth has been added to those retained in the form of Paul Dugdale, Adam Freeland, Josh Draycott, Sam Davies, Martin Grundy and, most notably, Charlie Bailey has been signed following his release from Morecambe.

Foster stopped short of issuing a target to his squad on the eve of the new campaign, instead stressing that his new-look side must aim to get the best out of every fixture.

"The squad is in a much healthier place than it was last year and all in all we're happy with the business we've done and we've got ourselves in a position where we can be competitive.

"The target is simple – we want to win every game.

"Our budget is one of the smaller ones in the league. We haven't got three grand to spend on players every week but we've got quality in our squad. People like Charlie Bailey for example, that's a great signing for us. We've got no bad eggs, they're all good lads that want to be here to play football.

"At the end of the day I know I'm going to put 11 players out who are going to give everything they have."

Looking to the season curtain raiser in Lancashire, Foster is expecting Mossley to prove to be tough opposition. In the corresponding fixture last season, Kendal lost 3-2.

Foster said: "They turn players over quite a lot, they tend to have their better players move on but they also have a good track record of drafting people in.

"It will be a tough test – they often finish in the top half or around the play offs so it's not an easy place to go. They've had a good pre season so we'll find out very quickly where we are."