Sutcliffe and his fellow coaches have been working with the Powder House Lane squad since mid-June in a bid to bounce straight back from relegation last season.

Now the Vale are just keen to get going at 3pm on Saturday.

Sutcliffe said: "Right from the final whistle at Sandbach, all through the summer to now, the total focus is on promotion.

"Pre-season is quite a frustraitng time because there is lots of training but no games. The lads are ready to go and this will be the real judge of where we are at.

"Everyone has worked hard and we are just itching to play. We have done the training, we are ready and I expect to win comfortably on Saturday. We want to make a statement to the rest of the league."

The Vale will have to start the season without skipper Neil Bennetts.

He has recently become a policeman and is working. Lock forward Lee Farnworth will captain the side in his absence.

Also missing is scrum-half Owen Hughes while second row Lee Acton is ruled out with an arm injury.

Full-back Neil Hull will be making his league debut following an impressive performance against Blackburn. The highly-promising three-quarter, Tom Carter, is named as a replacement in a strong Vale line up.

Powerful Irish forward Mark Aboud – a student at Lancaster University – will feature for the A team on Saturday.

Aboud, 20, has played second division rugby in Ireland and is expected to push for a first team spot in future.

Kick-off at Green Lane is 3pm. Players to meet at Powder House Lane at 11.45 am, with the coach leaving at 12pm prompt.

Vale of Lune: N Hull; J Bryan, C Orrick, I Bird, A Richards; N Foster, J Hodder; P Jackson, G Barton, A Sutcliffe; L Farnworth (capt), D Perry; D Lin, C Lamb, M Fowler. Reps: D Halliwell, M Whittaker, T Carter.

* VALE have arranged a fixture with Garstang on December 27 at Powder House Lane.