WARRINGTON Town boss Glenn Walker has expressed his disappointment that his side are without a Saturday home game until October 8 after the UniBond League First Division fixtures were announced on Thursday.

Town face a tough start to the campaign with a trip to relegated Bridlington Town on August 20 before testing fixtures at home to Bamber Bridge and away to Kendal Town, but a run of five midweek home matches at the start of the season could hit attendances hard.

"It's terrible really," said Walker. "Hopefully people will come down when the rugby season's finished, because we don't tend to get as many when that's on.

"But I can only think that we have so many midweek fixtures because of where we're situated, so that local teams can travel here in the evening."

Town are expected to take a look at a number of triallists when they play their first pre-season friendly at Ashton United on Saturday but they have already made a double swoop ahead of the new season with the capture of former Warrington players Paul McNally and Gary Randles from Marine.

McNally, who can play as a centre half, a central midfielder or a striker, was Marine's player of the season last year and will take on a player-coach role.

Randles can line up at either centre half or left back, and like McNally also had a spell at Runcorn.

But Town, who have also agreed a new kit sponsorship deal with IT company Clockwork Orange, will go into the 2005/06 campaign without striker Simon Burton and goalkeeper Colin Flood, who have joined Colwyn Bay and Cammell Laird respectively.

Burton could come up against his former club when Town travel to Colwyn Bay in the first round of the Challenge Cup on November 1.

It's the second successive year the two sides have been drawn together.

Warrington Town 2005/06 fixtures

Aug 20 Bridlington Town A

23 Bamber Bridge H

29 Kendal Town A

Sep 3 Spalding United A

6 Chorley H

17 Goole A

20 Woodley Sports H

27 Mossley H

Oct 1 Belper Town A

4 Rossendale United H

8 Brigg Town H

11 Colwyn Bay A

18 Fleetwood Town A

22 Shepshed Dynamo A

25 Clitheroe H

29 Spalding United H

Nov 1 Colwyn Bay (CC1) A

5 Kidsgrove Athletic A

19 Bishop Auckland H

26 Stocksbridge Parks Steels H

Dec 3 Chorley A

10 Fleetwood Town H

17 Eastwood Town A

26 Colwyn Bay H

Jan 2 Rossendale United A

14 Mossley A

21 Woodley Sports A

28 Goole H

Feb 4 Stocksbridge Parks Steels A

18 Kendal Town H

25 Bamber Bridge A

Mar 4 Bishop Auckland A

7 Gresley Rovers H

14 Clitheroe A

18 Bridlington Town H

21 Eastwood Town H

25 Shepshed Dynamo H

Apr 1 Ossett Albion H

8 Gresley Rovers A

15 Kidsgrove Athletic H

17 Ossett Albion A

22 Brigg Town A

29 Belper Town H