Jamie Shaw expects 'blood and thunder' battle as Sleaford Town kick off season at Pinchbeck United

Jamie Shaw expects a real blood and thunder affair as Sleaford Town kick off their United Counties League Premier North campaign tonight.

The Greens make the short journey to face Lincolnshire rivals Pinchbeck United (KO 7.45pm).

Both sides found themselves towards the bottom of the table before last season was curtailed, but Town and the Knights are both hoping for better things this term.

“They’re in a similar position to ourselves in where we’ve been and where we’re wanting to go,” said Shaw, happy with a little familiarity to start the campaign in a new-look league.

“It’ll be a tough game but it is good it’s a team and club we know - it’s good it’s not a midweek first game and you’re stuck in Nottingham traffic going to a completely new set-up you don’t know anything about.

“It’ll be a difficult game. Lewis (Thorogood, manager) will have them right up for it and we’ll expect nothing less.

“We’ll go to it in the same vein. It may not be one for the purists, I think it’ll be a blood and thunder type game.

“But it’s important to both sides we get off to a good start and hopefully we’ll have the quality to come out on top.”

While both sides have strengthened, how well each side has gelled in pre-season will also be a factor come tonight.

Shaw says the onus will be on Sleaford concentrating on playing their game to the best of their ability.

“It’s an opposition we know but maybe not a team we know,” he said.

“It’ll be about how we perform. We can control that but now how the opposition perform.

“We can impact that by how we play, but all we can really ever control is ourselves.”