Hucknall Town boss Andy Graves demanding work-rate and team-work this season

The Yellows kick off their new United Counties League Division One campaign against Lutterworth Athletic on Saturday.

And while Graves wants to win promotion, his minimum requirement for every game is to see his players give it their all.

“My message on Saturday will be about work-rate, teamwork and no individuals,” he said.

“The players know I only get cross if the workrate is not there.

“They are all talented and we have a good bunch of players who can play football.

“We need to look after the individual errors and we will be fine.

“We need to do the basics right. People try to over complicate it but football is simple.”

Graves is also keen to see his side hit the ground running to build up momentum and the crowds.

“We need to get off to a good start,” he added. “It instills confidence and you get more people watching and paying attention.

“The biggest thing at Hucknall is to manage everyone's expectations.

“We have to be realistic, but we want to be competitive and to be up there at Christmas so we can push on.

“We will see where we are at the end of the season. With the play-offs, more teams will be competitive for much longer into the season.”

Hucknall closed their pre-season campaign with a 4-4 draw at home to neighbours Linby CW after they had trailed 4-1 at the half-time break.