THE waiting is nearly over.

At 3pm this Saturday the action will begin again as the West Midlands Premier League kicks-off for another nine month rollercoaster with all our borough sides looking to improve.

At Dudley Town, new manager Andy Burgess is hoping for more ups than downs as he seeks to end 12 months of upheaval at the Dell.

The reigns of predecessors Steve Hinks and Neil Perks failed to sparkle and Burgess is determined to bring greater stability in order to get the Robins back on track.

He said: “In a sense it has been a bit of a rebuilding job and we quickly realised we needed to give the club its identity back.

“There were a lot of players here last season and I think a lot of the time they did not know whether they were coming or going.

“We’ve worked hard to restore a bit of discipline which I felt was lacking a bit toward the end of the last year.

“A few new rules have been brought in and it seems to be working. We have a good atmosphere and the lads are enjoying their football - that’s how you get the best out of people.”

Burgess and assistant Dave Smith have certainly been busy bringing players in, with former Causeway United midfielder Ben Stretton the latest through the door, along with experienced keeper Mark Garvey.

There have been numerous additions to the forward line, with former Bustleholme hitman Niki Faux joining up with Anthony Cox and Ben Store to form what should be a potent front line.

They kick-off at the Dell against Goodrich on Saturday and with five of their first seven games at home, Burgess is confident of making a decent start.

He said: “There’s no reason we can’t make a strong start though there are no easy games in this league.

“In terms of our goals for the season, I think a club like Dudley needs to be finishing in the top ten.”

A top half finish is also the goal at Dudley Sports where Tony Gore and Paul Blakeley are set for their fourth year at the helm.

Sports were among the most entertaining sides in the league last term with none of their games finishing in a draw - though they finished on the losing side in 25 of their 38 games.

Gore said: “We conceded far too many goals last season and we didn’t score enough.

“I think and I hope the signings we have made will address that.

“Each year we go into the season looking to improve on what we did the year before, we managed it last season and we will hope to do so again this year.

“A top ten place would be a good season for us. There has been a lot of change at the club, with players coming and going. But what we have seen in pre-season has been exciting.”

Sports tough-looking start to the campaign at home to Cradley Town could be made harder by a rash of absentees.

Keeper Sam Pearson is in a race against time to be fit after sustaining a cracked tooth during Saturday’s 3-0 friendly defeat to Tipton Town, while Mitch Wilkins is also touch and go. Meanwhile Matt Preston, Matt Hearsay, Ryan Passey and Luke Astley are all unavailable for Saturday.

Sports then head to Gornal next Tuesday before a trip to Pegasus Juniors on Saturday week.

Gore added: “It’s a tough start to the season and having injuries and unavailability does not help.

“Cradley always seem to put a good team together, Gornal were flying last season under Rowie and Pegasus is very much a trip into the unknown.

“But you have to play these teams at sometime and if we can pick up a few points it gets us off to a good start.”