CHAIRMAN Alan Bartlam wants Vauxhall Motors to keep their foot on the accelerator when the Conference North campaign kicks-off tomorrow.

The Motormen have been hugely impressive during pre-season, claiming the scalps of Tranmere Rovers and an Everton youth XI along the way.

The real action begins tomorrow with the visit of Leigh RMI to Rivacre Park - and Bartlam feels a top-10 finish is not out of reach.

But he also sounded a note of caution, pointing out how an encouraging string of warm-up results last summer gave way to a disappointing start in the league.

Bartlam said: 'I've no idea how to avoid that happening again.

'If I turn the clock back 12 months, we had a splendid pre-season and thought we were absolutely all right.

'And we won the first game, away from home, with a strong, gritty performance which confirmed what we thought about our season. We lost the second match and after that we never recovered. It didn't go our way and suddenly we had got three points from three games. We looked like cast iron certainties for relegation but Carl Macauley did so well in turning them round.

'So here we are 12 months on, with another splendid pre-season. They look a really good unit and I have been impressed by what I've seen. I'm quietly confident but I hesitate to say anything because of what happened last season.'

Anthony Wright is finally back from injury and Karl O'Donnell is looking lively, knocking in the winner against Ronnie Moore's Tranmere.

But Motors will be without the versatile Brian Moogan, new defender Mark Williams and midfielder Tom Field against Leigh tomorrow, and Mike Garrity is away on business.

Former Chester City winger Stuart Whittaker, signed from Nuneaton Borough, and ex-Burscough man Lee Dames will make their debuts.

Bartlam added: 'First priority is to make sure we're out of harm's way, but for a team on one of the lowest budgets it would be a tremendous achievement to finish in the top 10. We have got the players to do it.

'There is not a lot more we can do to put it in place.'

* The Motormen lost 2-1 at Burscough on Saturday in their final pre-season game. Anthony Wright hit the Motors' goal.