NEW Holsworthy boss Kevin Squire is looking to utilise a ‘positive style of football’ when the South West Peninsula League Premier West season gets underway on Saturday against Launceston at Upcott Field (3pm).

The Magpies ended seventh – the highest placing in their Step Six history – in Ryan Hall’s final season in charge as well as reaching the Torridge Cup final yet again where they were beaten 3-0 by Torridgeside.

Squire, a striker in his playing days for all of North Devon’s top clubs in Bideford, Barnstaple and Ilfracombe Town – admitted the job came out of the blue.

He said: “I wasn’t looking for anything, then I had a couple of calls while I was on holiday in the summer and agreed to a meet.

“The enthusiasm and friendliness of the chairman and vice-chairman were very noticeable, so really it was the set up the club has and the people running the club were what appealed to me to take it on.”

Holsworthy have a healthy core of local talent and Squire knows they will need it.

He said: “I’ll be surprised if many teams have a smaller budget than ours, but I understand that.

“The aim is to always improve and if we can improve on last year’s placing then great, but it’s more about developing the players to try to make them better and just seeing where that takes us.

“There are no targets at this stage. Just encouraging the players we have to listen to the messages given and try to improve as an individual and as a team.”

Squire is not giving details as to who has come in or left apart from that Ollie Moores and Max McDonald are off travelling, but key players have agreed to stay.

He continued: “The majority of last season’s team have been retained. Some players have been given opportunities to step up from the reserve team and there are some brilliant young players who I’m excited about seeing throughout the season.

“Pre-season is always a challenge for every manager at every level with various excuses, but I feel it’s gone quite well.

“Football is always more enjoyable if you win games and to win games you need to score goals, so I like to play a positive style of football to try to win games!”

Squire’s last managerial job was at Okehampton Argyle in SWPL Premier East at the end of last year before assisting in Tavistock’s successful relegation battle in Southern League Division One South. He admits it will take time to get used to a new league.

He said: “It’s a division I’ve not played or managed in, so it will be new to me, but it was one of the things that attracted me to the job, something different and something new to learn.

“But if we do what I want us to do, we will be fine.”

Squire also had some words for the locals.

He concluded: “I’m looking forward to the ups and downs of the season ahead, and I encourage supporters and sponsors old and new to come along and watch some games.”