MALDON and Tiptree manager David Wright is excited at the prospect of his first competitive game this Saturday.

The current Colchester United Under-21s coach and Jammers boss makes his non-league competitive managerial debut against Phoenix Sports in the opening game of their Ryman Division North campaign.

Following the link-up between Maldon and the U’s, Wright also faces an added pressure to perform.

He said: “The season is only around the corner now and while it’s exciting we need to be ready.

“The boys have been excellent though and so has the whole experience for me so far.

“I’m really pleased with the squad balance.

“We have experienced boys, who have played at this level, mixed with the promising youngsters.

“However, we’re not done with squad changes and I’m expecting to see a few new faces this week.

Newly-promoted Phoenix Sports will be an interesting challenge for the travelling Jammers on Saturday.

Wright said: “The Phoenix Sports game is exciting for me and the club.

“We know they’ll be on a high and full of confidence after their promotion.

“Of course we’ll respect them, but we want to be concentrated on our own game.

“Come Saturday we should be fully focussed and ready to get off to a strong start.

Maldon’s pre-season did have a slight hiccup last weekend following a cancellation from Enfield Town.

However, a replacement training session and a 1-1 draw against Stevenage on Tuesday night finished off Maldon’s pre-season.

Wright said: “The Enfield cancellation was disappointing but instead we had a mixed training session. It was a really tough training session on the boys and we got a lot out of it.

“The boys have been showing pleasing signs and they understand how we want to play. The philosophy has hopefully been drilled in but it’s work that doesn’t end with pre-season.”