MANAGER Paul West insists Evesham United’s champions tag will count for nothing when they begin their British Gas Business Premier Division campaign on Saturday (3pm).

The Robins, who won Division One Midlands with 91 points in May, travel to Bedford Town for their first game in the top flight since the 2005/06 season.

Winning the title was a piece of history for the club but West says it is time to put that to one side and concentrate on the season ahead.

The manager said: “We have enjoyed our time but that means nothing now, it’s a fresh slate and we have got to start again because reputations mean nothing.

“We hope that the camp is confident but it’s all about genuine hard work still and if we do that then we will hold our own.

“We are not going to be resting on our laurels, we will be putting in as much effort as we can.

“We are preparing for a tough game at Bedford and then we will take it game by game. There’s not going to be anything lost in the league in the first game but we want a good, positive start in the first fortnight.”

United, who completed their pre-season schedule with a 0-0 draw at Bedworth United last weekend, have a fully fit squad to pick from after de-fender Danny Hodnett shook off a knee problem and midfielder Mark Hands got some much-needed minutes under his belt.

West added: “I think we are ready and are all eager to get on with it. We have worked hard in pre-season but there’s nothing better than the real stuff.

“The players are up to a certain level of fitness and hopefully we are getting to that time where we are focusing on knowing our jobs.”