BARNOLDSWICK Town are hoping to upset the apple cart this season by catching their league opponents off guard following a tricky last campaign.

A turbulent Barlick finished a disappointing 15th in the 2021-22 North West Counties League Premier Division.

Former boss Danny Craig reentered the role, three years on from departing, in November after the club parted company with Andy Clarkson.

It was a fall from grace that developed in the remaining six months.

Asked what went wrong in the previous campaign, Craig said: "Football is a low scoring game, it looked worse than it was.

"In terms of the players, it was like a revolving door. We didn’t have much time with them on the training pitch.

"Standards were not where we wanted them to be. It become almost headmasterish

"It was not down to one reason. We drew a lot of games that we should have won."

Craig believes his newfound team needed a break and have now come back re-energised.

He said: "The end of last year came at a good time. We needed a break.

"It was a chance for us to reflect on what happened. We needed to set new standards.

"We managed to retain 75-80 per cent of the squad and have added a few more.

"The players invested in an eight week pre-season programme. They worked hard and we used the pre-season games to reinforce what we have been working on on the training pitch."

Wins against Croston Sports, Rossendale and a Burnley XI gave Town good momentum going into last weekend's season opener against Winsford United which ended in a 3-1 win.

Craig added: "We didn’t get out of second gear on Saturday.

"In the first half, we had a lot of the ball and were the better side. Our fitness levels were where they needed to be.

"After the break, we scored two more and managed the game quite well."

The Barlick boss feels his team can create a few shocks this term in what is a difficult division.

"We will take one game at a time. It is a tough division with the likes of Bury AFC, FC Isle of Man, Kendal Town, Charnock Richard and Wythenshaw Town.

"Nobody is taking notice of us, we will quietly go about our business."

Barnoldswick will take on Albion Sports in the the Emirates FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round on Saturday.

Albion, who play at the same level as their hosts, opened their Northern Counties East League Premier Division campaign with a 0-0 draw at Barton Town.

Craig added: "Both teams are going into the match blind. It will be interesting to see how they are going to line-up.

"Both teams think they can win. We are confident we can get over the line and into the next round."