New manager Mark Fell says Workington Reds are determined to live up to their fans’ expectations as a new season gets under way today.

The west Cumbrians head to Guiseley for their opening fixture in the Northern Premier League Premier Division campaign.

It is the Reds’ first competitive game under Fell after he replaced Danny Grainger at the helm.

A number of new faces are on board for the 2024/25 campaign and Fell says Workington are excited to get things going.

“We’re pleased with where we are as a group and you can’t beat that anticipation of when it really counts,” he said.

“There’ll be nothing better than when it actually matters because that’s why we’re all in it – when points are at stake.

“The performances in pre-season here at Borough Park have given people enough to get hold of and think if we can replicate that, we can do well.

“Any club that is as well supported as Workington is, there is an expectation for us to perform.

"We need to do our best to live up to that and have a team that is befitting of those expectations.”

Among the players set for action this afternoon are summer recruits such as Josh Galloway, Kai Nugent, Steve Swinglehurst, Alex Mitchell, Jamie Allen and Tom Wilkinson.

The Reds also confirmed another signing on the eve of the season, with 18-year-old Preston midfielder Kaedyn Kamara joining on a three-month loan deal.

The summer has seen a change to the squad following last season’s retirement of long-serving trio Scott Allison, Conor Tinnion and Sam Smith.

Fell is optimistic that a new-look Workington can now grow.

“We’ve brought good players in, experienced players. I think we’ve improved the quality,” he said, speaking to BBC Radio Cumbria.

“Yes, there’s going to be inconsistencies, yes we want to get off to a good start but we’ve also got to remember to temper than expectation at times, that this is a new side.

“It’s not going to happen overnight but I know we’ve got the foundations of something that can be strong.

“The amount of intelligence [on Guiseley] that we have is limited. There’s not so much footage out there. We’ve had them watched as we do our due diligence but it’s not easy to [second-guess] the team that [manager] Mark Bower will pick.

“First games of the season are often cagey affairs but we’ll go there with a plan and thinking we can get a positive result from the game.”

Summer signing Galloway, the former Carlisle United, Annan Athletic and Leeds United man, said: "As pre-season's gone on, we've stuck to what the manager is trying to implement for the season.

"I feel I've settled in really easily and it's a great environment."