After a long and hard pre-season, Barton Rovers and Dunstable Town both get their Southern League Division One Midlands campaigns under way on Saturday.

Rovers face a tough up to title contenders Chasetown, while Blues host newly-promoted Atherstone Town at Creasey Park.

Barton boss Gary Fitzgerald said: "It's always nice to get a good start to the season and it will prove even more so if we get a result at Chasetown, who are favourites to win the league.

"The opening day might be a nice time to play them.

"We are going to be a little bit short with injuries, but we've got a good group of players, who I trust and I know will go up there and perform.

"Pre-season drags on a bit, but it needs to be done and, to be fair to all of the players, they've done everything that has been asked of them.

"The group we've put together this year have excelled themselves and that's important because we want to achieve something this year."

Dunstable manager Lee Cowley said: "If I'm honest, I'm bored with the friendlies now, they seem to have gone on forever and we're looking forward to Saturday.

"They are a bit of an unknown quantity, so it's difficult to tell whether they are going to come here and be physical or try and play football, so we'll worry about ourselves."

After their respective curtain-raisers at the weekend, Rovers then host Marlow on Tuesday night, while Dunstable travel to Bury Town.