MARK Yates admits it'll be a tough start to the season as Harriers entertain promotion hopefuls Aldershot Town at Aggborough on the opening day.

The Shots have inflicted some painful defeats on Harriers over the past couple of seasons and whilst Yates' squad will no doubt be out to rectify that, it won't be easy to open up the campaign against a side expected to do well.

"It's a very tough start but then again it's a very tough league and we have to play everybody at some point," Yates told harriers.co.uk today.

"This time last year we were talking about playing St. Albans at home in the first game of the season and looking forward to it and the result didn't go for us.

"This year we're going straight into it with one of the teams that's going to be up there.

"All we're going to do is prepare properly, like we felt we did last season but St. Albans came and turned us over and we just weren't ready for them, be it attitude or something else.

"But a lot has changed since then, the squad has matured and realised what it's all about and we'll be hoping they can keep learning and focus quickly.

"But there's five and a half weeks of pre-season first and we're looking forward to that."

Speaking on the continuing work of adding new faces to the squad, Yates revealed he's close to being able to complete a deal with a new goalkeeper, as well as being ready to cast his eye over a select crop of trialists.

He continued: "I've sorted out things with a goalkeeper and I'll be speaking to him again tomorrow and we still have a few things hopefully happening but we're in no rush at the moment.

"We have 16 or 17 players now and we're just seeing where we go. We'll have some young trialists from local football sides and you have to give those kinds of players a chance to see what they can do too.

"We're confident that with the three signings we've made so far that we can have a squad capable of doing something."

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