AFTER a season upsetting the big boys at the top of the South West Peninsula League, Dobwalls are more likely to be battling to keep out of trouble this time around.

The club finished third in Premier West last season – their best campaign ever – but by the middle of June the management team and the squad of players which achieved this had departed.

Joint managers Ben Washam and Brad Gargett decided to step up to the Western League with Ivybridge Town and quickly snapped up the majority of the Dobwalls squad.

So when Kevin McCann was appointed as the new first team manager on June 12, he found the Lantoom Park dressing room empty.

McCann, who spent 10 successful years with Saltash Borough in the East Cornwall League and latterly the St Piran League Premier Division East, said: “It’s been a very difficult start because I’ve only had a month to get a squad together after Ben took every single player when he left.

“I didn’t plan to go somewhere else after Borough, but a friend encouraged me to have a look at the Dobwalls job and things happened very quickly.

“We’ve struggled to arrange friendlies because we’ve been unable to use Lantoom very much, so all in all it’s been a tough few weeks.”

McCann, who appointed his son Kieran as assistant manager, raided his old club Borough to recruit several players and has also added Cameron Copp from Bodmin Town, Jack Clarke from SB Frankfort and Alfie Smith, Fin Neville, Rhys Connew and Harry Pethick from Saltash United Reserves.

He said: “I’ve brought in seven or eight players from Borough who I believe have a good chance of making an impact at this level and players from other clubs who maybe haven’t had the opportunities to step up.

“We’ve got a really young side and it’s going to take us a month or so to get settled given the limited time we’ve had in pre-season, but we’ll get there.”

Dobwalls have a tough start. They face Callington Town at home on Saturday (3pm) before away games against much-fancied Elburton Villa and Holsworthy, who are hard to beat at home.

McCann said: “Yes it’s quite a difficult start, but I’m quite happy about that because my lads will have to learn quickly.”

Have targets been set for the season ahead? McCann said: “The club want us to stay up – but I genuinely believe that once we get going we can finish halfway up the table.

“We might have a slow start, but there is enough ability in our squad to improve as the season goes on.”

He added: “We’ve not got a very big budget, which I’m fine with, nobody’s getting paid apart from travelling expenses, and there are no big egos here. I think big egos can upset team spirit.”

The Dobwalls faithful – and any visiting supporters for that matter – can also expect a different approach from the home dugout after the lively antics of Washam, but McCann is delighted with the opportunity and hopes to repay the board’s faith, concluding: “I was very impressed with the people who are involved when I went down to Dobwalls, those who give their time to Dobwalls and ask for nothing.

“I want to do well for the club and to give those people a good team which plays good football.”