Mark Yates is aiming for a big start against the Daggers
Mark Yates speaking to the media ahead of this weekend's npower League Two match v. Dagenham & Redbridge:"This is the one that counts. This is the one we have been looking forward to. The MK Dons game worked out quite well for us because it gave the boys some good game time and we played quite well which will give us confidence. I've been down to see Dagenham & Redbridge play and they will be awkward and hard to beat. If we take them lightly then we'll have a kick in the teeth. The first game of the season always brings about results people didn't see coming so you need to be disciplined but also get at them because we're at home. What we don't want to do is chase the game because they will be difficult to beat if they get that first goal.
"There's no hangover for me. Wembley may still be hurting but it's gone and it's last year. We have kept the nucleus of this team together and added to it so we must realise every week what it takes. Three points this week won't win us the league but it will be a good start and we are looking for a good performance to take us into the coming months.
"There's no form in pre-season and I'm not sure you should read into the results. It's all about team understanding, doing things properly and how you prepare but we want to win the game without a doubt but Dagenham won't make it easy. They matched Coventry for effort on Tuesday and John Still is a wily old character. We are at home and we are expected to win but it certainly won't be like that.
"John has some good players at Dagenham. It will be a really tough game and that is the message I am trying to get across to the players. Anything we get on Saturday will need to be earned because they'll make it extremely difficult but if we play at tempo and do what we can do then we have a chance. We want to get off to a good start but we shouldn't read too much into it either.
"I can only pick eleven and I'll pick a team that I think can win the game. We all need to stick together because it will be a squad effort throughout the season. If they aren't picked on Saturday then they shouldn't be down because they need to take their chance when it comes to them.
"Steve Elliott is fine and so is Jeff Goulding. They have both trained.
"Every year you want to progress, every game you want to improve but we lost in the play-off final last season and we want to better that. There are 23 other managers and squads thinking exactly the same though and they'll fancy their chances just like us. Our aim is to do better than last season, to keep progressing and that can mean only one thing."