MARK Molesley says his Weymouth side will embrace the challenge as they prepare to begin life in the Vanarama National League South with a trip to Maidstone United tomorrow (3pm).
The Stones finished rock bottom of the National League last season, 19 points from safety, while Weymouth come into the league from the opposite direction, having won promotion from the Evo-Stik Southern Premier South.
Molesley told Echosport: “Maidstone away, they are one of the favourites for the league and rightly so, they are still full-time and they are going to be a big fish this season.
“But you look to any game this season and they are all going to be tough and demanding, one thing is we are pleased we are there and we are embracing the challenge.”
Weymouth enjoyed a near-perfect pre-season, with five wins and one draw, with that one stalemate a 2-2 result against Sky Bet League One side Southend United.
When asked if it will be good to get one of the biggest challenges out of the way early on, Molesley replied: “We don’t look at it like ‘get it out of the way’, we can’t wait for it. This is what we have worked so hard for for the last year, we want these challenges.
“We want to go and play the best, go and pit our wits against these teams so we are looking at it as everything to look forward to.
“I am glad we have got this game and I know the players are too, we want to go and test ourselves, we want to go and challenge ourselves and that is the attitude of the group.”
Elsewhere, Weymouth have announced that Josh McQuoid will skipper the Terras this season, with Jake McCarthy now vice-captain.
