Workington Reds manager Danny Grainger insists he has not been surprised by his side’s fast start to their NPL North West Division campaign as he prepares his team for another big game today.

The league leaders will be looking to make their first visit to Mount Pleasant an enjoyable one against Marske United this afternoon (3pm kick-off), and record a fourth win in five games.

United are fourth ­– nine points behind Reds but with five games in hand – and Grainger will expect his players to again show their quality as they have done throughout the early stages of the season.

Despite introducing a number of young players to the team, the former Carlisle United captain believes there was no reason to doubt they would produce the standard of performances they have.

“I wouldn’t say they have surprised me because I think the standard of the players at Workington Reds at the moment is very high,” he said.

“With the three lads that came out of Carlisle, I knew what they could do, I knew they were good players.

“I think, if you look at the lads that stayed from last season and the lads that we have added, they all have quality.

“Even though they are all part-time, they are really showing their quality and showing that there are some really talented footballers in the dressing room.”

Top of the table and four points clear of second-placed Prescot Cables, there have been no signs of a hangover from last season’s relegation.

And Grainger believes that has been a result of a focus on what the team can affect rather than dwelling on past mistakes or disappointments.

“Sometimes, after a relegation season, confidence is low,” he said.

“But, as we said to them when we came in, we can’t affect what happened to them last season or what has happened in previous games; it’s all about what’s happening in the future.

“That’s what we keep trying to drum into them.

“To be fair to them, in every game, they are really applying themselves and I couldn’t be much happier with how they are playing.”

Unbeaten Marske demolished Droylsden 6-1 in their last home league game and are on pace to have one of the most ruthless attacks in the division, as well as a formidable defence.

But Grainger can be equally proud of his team’s record, with Workington the highest scorers in the league and having a solid defence.

Meanwhile, Reds’ home league game against Runcorn Linnets will now take place on Saturday, October 19 after originally being due to take place on Saturday, March 21.