Toolstation NCEL Premier Division
Knaresborough Town manager Simon Parkes says he’s delighted with how preparations for the new season are going.
The ex-Harrogate Railway midfield disrupter is entering his first campaign in management and he says he believes his side is stronger than last season.
“I’m very happy,” Parkes told Non League Yorkshire.
“If you look at how we have performed in pre-season we have done a lot of in-house work on the training ground.
“We have done a lot of work on the system and how we want to work and the lads are really on board.
“Recruitment has gone pretty much the way we wanted it to.
“We filled in the gaps where we were probably light on the ground last year.
“If you look at where we were last year we had two centre-halves get injured in the first couple of weeks of the season which put us in bad stead.
“That was an important one.
“The main thing for us this year was competition all over the pitch which we have.
“In every position there is competition.
“Karl Robinson has come in and he has been a fantastic addition and he’s exactly what we are after in there.
“He’s settled into the group.
“Jordan Hines has come in and done well and he’s a bit of a utility player and he’s a pleasure to work with.”
Robinson, Hines, Harry Clark and Tommy Brown are the new signings, alongside the bulk of last season’s squad.
Garforth Town legend Mark Simpson was announced as a retained player.
He has not played since taking a sabbatical last year but Parkes says he is hopeful the striker will return to Manse Lane.
“I spoke to Simmo a couple of weeks ago and he’s very much still on board,” he said.
“He’s got a few personal things he has deal with at the moment.
“He’s on track and he’s making good improvements and from speaking to him he’s still got interest in coming back in the next couple of weeks.
“It has to be right timing for him.”