THE SEASON will be officially underway for Workington AFC on Saturday when they clash with Knaresborough Town on their home turf.

The side can afford to be confident going into the away match, which is the first FA Cup preliminary round, following a recent spell of good form.

Reds boss Danny Grainger said: “The FA Cup is something special. We need to make sure we’re ready for it.”

The side closed out pre-season this past weekend with a hard fought 4-3 victory over Lancaster City at Borough Park.

In the early stages, Reds were trailing 0-2 and 2-3 later in the game but they were able to claw their way back for the win. Previous pre-season games saw comprehensive wins over Cleator Moor Celtic and Whitehaven AFC.

Grainger is cautiously optimistic based on recent performances.

“You look at the way we’re playing, if it’s pre-season it’s easy to win the ball when there’s no pressure but we’ve always said every result matters that was our mentality all the way through.

"We always need to be as positive as we can, we are looking forward to the start of the season."

Grainger added that the side need to apply themselves and focus on what they do best to assure victory against Knaresborough on Saturday night.

Reds will be missing Dave Symington on Saturday night as he is still sidelined due to injury.

“He'll be back next weekend, this one was just too early for him."

Jordan Little is also sidelined and will be out of action for up to ten days. Reds have announced this week that Brandon Robertson, 22, will join the side on a dual registration with Wetheriggs United. Robertson has played in Workington reserve team in the past but will return amongst the seniors after impressing in the Westmoreland Football League.