DESPITE their woes in the summer when they lost more than half their first-team regulars, Kulwinder Sandhu’s Albion Sports have made an unblemished start to the new season.

Three games into the 2016-17 campaign, the Lions are joint top of the Toolstation Northern Counties East League Premier Division, behind Bottesford Town only on goal difference.

The top two are the only clubs still to have 100 per cent records as both have won all three games.

Following his side’s 5-1 victory at Rainworth Miners' Welfare on Tuesday, Sandhu said: “It’s been a good start but a difficult one – everyone knows the problems we had in pre-season.

“But we’ve had some good results and we’ve got them even with some players from our current squad missing.

"We got Mo Kaba back – he played a few games for Park Avenue in pre-season but he’s our left back again now – but we’ve had James Firth and a couple more unavailable.

“To travel 79 miles on a midweek night and go 1-0 down in the game but still win shows a lot of character.

"Rainworth had lost their game before so were a bit down but any away win is a good one in this league.

“We have won all three games we’ve played, so what more can we do? But we are certainly not getting carried away – we never do.

"There is a long way to go and we’ll see what happens but I’m very pleased with the start we’ve made.”