The 119-day wait for FC Halifax Town fans since lifting the Evo-Stik First Division North trophy finally ends on Saturday as the 2010-11 campaign gets underway at home to Buxton.
Town have enjoyed a successful pre-season programme, beating Brighouse Town, Clitheroe and Trafford, drawing with Hyde, Gateshead and Droylsden and losing to Grimsby Town.
Buxton have also had a fruitful pre-season schedule, winning against Rossington, Hyde, Stalybridge Celtic, New Mills, Glossop, Sheffield FC and Leek Town, drawing with Barnsley and losing to Macclesfield Town, Burnley and Mansfield Town.
Striker Kieran Lugsden was the club's top-scorer in their warm-up games with six goals and could be a potential danger for the Town defence, who kept four clean sheets in their seven friendlies.
FC Halifax Town's Nathan Taylor notched six goals himself during those seven games, with fellow new signings Danny Holland, Simon Garner and Jamie Vardy also getting off the mark.
Buxton drew 1-1 with Bradford Park Avenue in their first match of last season, and are 16-1 to win the Evo-Stik Premier in what is manager John Reed's fourth campaign in charge at the Derbyshire club.
The Shaymen won 3-0 at Colwyn Bay in their opening game of last year, with a goal from Richard Marshall and two from James Dean, who looks unlikely to play on Saturday after not featuring in any of Halifax's friendly matches.
Of that 16-man squad that won at Colwyn, only nine players remain at the club, with several summer signings, including Liam Hogan, Mark Bower, Harry Winter, Simon Garner, Jamie Vardy, Nathan Taylor and Danny Holland, due to make their competitive debuts for the club on Saturday.
Scott Phelan is expected to be out for a couple of weeks with the injury he picked up at Trafford FC last weekend, while Dean and Danny Lowe remain unavailable.
To see if Town can get off to the perfect start to the new campaign, be at The Shay for Saturday's 3pm kick-off. If you can't make it to the match, the official FC Halifax Town website will be providing regular updates on all the action throughout the afternoon, and highlights of the game will be exclusively available on Shaymen Player on Sunday at 5pm.
Tom Scargill
