ALBION Sports head into the new campaign tomorrow with a new-look side after boss Kulwinder Sandhu lost six first-team regulars during the close season.

The Albion manager has been around long enough to know the risks that the summer brings at this level, however.

The players are free agents and, no matter how many assurances they give as the squad go their separate ways at the end of a season, there is that likelihood that they will be tempted to move ahead of the campaign.

But Sandhu was particularly unimpressed when Eccleshill United swooped to sign four Albion players.

He said: “We lost four players to Eccleshill and, I’ll be honest, I wasn’t happy about that.

“I spoke to the club and I told them that they had lost some very good friends.

"We helped them in the past with sponsorship money when our club secretary’s restaurant, The Three Singh’s, backed them.

“I also have to question the ambition of the players who have gone there as they have dropped down a division.

"They could have been playing for us in the FA Cup tomorrow, but they’ll be with a club that hasn’t even qualified for it.

“Two other players have gone but I can understand that because they are pushing on with their careers.

"Mo Kaba has played a few games with Bradford Park Avenue in pre-season, and it looks like he might be signing for one of the Ossett clubs in the Evo-Stik League.

“Lewis Morgan spent pre-season with Tadcaster Albion, and he will probably sign for them, which is good for the lad.

"Taddy won our division last season, so will be in the Evo-Stik, and they have a fantastic set-up over there.”

Sandhu has re-stocked his squad, and Sports are ready to go again this term, but he admits that the close season has been a testing one.

They have some established players back from last season, and goal-machine Danny Facey has returned.

“We have the backbone of a team made up of players proven at this level, and some very good young lads that have a lot of promise,” added Sandhu.

“It’s difficult for us because we have no reserve-team, and that boils down to having no home.

“We are playing at a fantastic facility, which is down to Farsley Celtic being so good with us by allowing us to share Throstle Nest, but we haven’t got that structure in place that we need.”