WINSFORD United's new manager has been set the target of leading the club to promotion in his first year in charge.

Chris Willcock is under no illusions about the huge expectations of both the chairman and fans.

But he is confident he can put together a promotion winning side.

Chris said: "The chairman and board expect promotion. I'm sure the fans do too and hopefully we will achieve that.

"You can never guarantee promotion but I'm confident that come the end of the season we will be right in the mix at the top of the table."

Willcock held his first meeting with the players last Tuesday and told them that they will all be given every opportunity to impress.

He said: "As far as I am concerned every player will start with a clean slate and it's up to them to earn a place in the team. Just because they didn't feature too much last season doesn't mean they won't play an important part in my squad if they warrant it."

When the players return for pre-season training next Thursday they can expect some modern training techniques. Willcock, who is training for his UEFA Pro Licence, said he wanted to show the players something new.

He said "I consider myself to be a very innovative thinker and perhaps I will bring ideas that the players haven't come across before. But I'm sure they will welcome them because I am a great believer in making football as enjoyable as possible.

"I believe that's how you get the best out of players."

Willcock is also hopeful of adding some new faces to his squad before the start of the season.

But he is keeping quiet about exactly who those players might be until any potential deals are completed.

He added: "I am talking to a number of players at the moment but I won't give any names until they are actually signed. At the moment I'm just looking forward to starting training with the players next week and we'll take it from there."