Honiton Town have two more pre-season friendlies to get through before they launch their new Macron Devon and Exeter League campaign.

Hippos boss Kev Blackwell has been running the rule over his squad in preparation for the opening league game, at Topsham Town on August 20.

There could not have a been a tougher start for Town given that Topsham Town are the reigning champions and they will have already been played two highly competitive fixtures before the team meet on Saturday week.

The Tops, having already beaten last season’s North Devon league champions Braunton, are now playing this Sunday against Plymouth Marjon in the Throgmorton Champions Cup final.

Blackwell sees the opening game as the ideal start: “Better to begin playing the very best for then you get an early indication of the bench mark required. We know from our meetings with them (Topsham) last year that they are a good side. For our part we have been working hard in training and there’s some good things developing. My mantra has, and indeed will always be, that we, at Honiton Town Football Club, simply must keep on looking to better ourselves and develop things still further. The natural progression for us now would be a step up the football pyramid and that’s something I’d love us to achieve. Before that we need to be winning the league we are in. Can we do that this year? Why not, we were close last year, but it’s a new season now and I have little doubt that all the top flight clubs will begin the campaign feeling this could be their year.”

Blackwell has his eyes on adding to his squad.

He says: “The squad has lost Correy Couch who is coaching ‘soccer’ in the USA, and Tim Genders has sadly decided to call it a day, although I have convinced Tim to sign on, and I’m sure that Correy will sign too for when he is home. Everyone else will be signing on for the club. We have three or four lads that I hope will sign, and I’m hopeful overall, despite losing two important players we will go into the new season stronger. I am lucky to have Nick Ogden beside me on the sidelines, and skipper Darren Witt will lead things on the pitch.”

He concluded: “I feel certain that we will find this season even tougher than last year, but a hugely promising for me is that all the players seem to have brought into the same thinking as the management in that unless we are all pulling the same way and at the same speed then we’ll not be a success. One thing that I am mighty sure of, if we aren’t successful this season then it will not be for the want of trying.”