With a shared total in excess of 1,000 games in the Football League behind them, the new management team installed at Horsfall Stadium have certainly walked the walk.

Manager Simon Collins, assistant Peter Davenport and first team player/coach Simon Baldry all have extensive knowledge of the semi-pro game as well.

There are no guarantees in football or sport in general but the background of the triumvirate points to them being able to deliver success.

Their combined CV, Avenue’s promotion near-miss last term and the perception that the Bradford club is ready and willing to fund another push for the Conference North has heightened expectation, but the man in the hot-seat feels that is merely another positive to work with.

Former Huddersfield player Collins spoke this week of his keenness to get his squad assembled and also of the expectancy.

He said: “There is going to be a lot of pressure here but that’s what you want. You don’t want to be at a club expecting to go down.

“We will be stringent with the finances so there won’t be any silly money being paid in wages. The days of the big budget have gone, for every club not just Avenue, but we still have a healthy one.

“Lots of clubs would go to the ends of the earth for the kind of money that is available, so I’m certainly not complaining. It is just up to us to use it wisely and get the most out of the players we draft in.

“We might have to rebuild a little but we will take stock and be sensible before we part with any cash.”

Collins spent most of his time in the pro game at Huddersfield, as did Baldry.

This is Collins’ second full managerial role but he was on the management side at Stocksbridge before taking over as boss at Ossett Town, while Davenport has worked as a manager for several years.

“Peter was the manager at Macclesfield when I was a player there and when I managed Ossett I asked him to come over and cast his eye over what we were doing.

“You need a confidante and he was mine. Pete will always give you an honest opinion.

“He had managed Colywn Bay and then Bangor City in the Welsh Premier League and almost got Southport promoted to the Conference, so he knows his away around this level.

“Simon will be involved in every decision, we go back to when we were about 12 or 13 in the junior sides at Huddersfield. He is a great player and knows his stuff so has a lot to offer.

“I hope we can bring all our experience together and use it to take the club forward.”