The waiting is over and you can almost touch the sense of anticipation despite the daunting stature of the opposition.

After weeks of preparation, not all of it admittedly going according to plan, Enfield Town make their National League South debut with the long trip to Devon to face former league club Torquay United tomorrow, followed a week later by our first home game against Weston Super Mare.

Town’s Step 2 baptism could hardly be much tougher on paper but this is what we strove for and now it’s all systems go in front of what is likely to be a crowd of several thousand.

Whilst we still have one or two significant injuries, the treatment table is showing signs of improvement and we have been boosted by yet another signing, this time experienced former  Sutton United striker Hisham Kasimu.

With the squad bolstered in recent weeks by several timely recruits, the mood around the whole club has been raised considerably though Gavin Macpherson is under no illusions about the task ahead.

“The last thing I will say to the players when they leave the dressing room is to embrace the role of the underdog,” said Gavin.

“The word is focussed. I can’t deny that moving up the ladder poses a challenge and Torquay is the biggest example of that in our very first game.”

“If we put on a good show and we still get beaten there may be positives to draw on but we never go into any game thinking we are just there to make up the numbers.”

“Having said that, although we are in the same division, we don’t live with Torquay in respect of the fact we are wide apart as football clubs. That’s not a criticism of anyone. We have made massive strides but Torquay are a club who understandably feel the level they are at is way beneath where they should be. By rights they should beat us and I don’t feel any pressure whatsoever.”

Gavin concedes, however, that pre-season hasn’t exactly been how he planned it, both in terms of injuries and losing Marcus Wyllie and Taylor McKenzie as well as Jake Cass though the latter’s retirement was always on the cards.

Some of the pre-season results speak for themselves but while many of the new-look squad have never played together, the recruitment process has started to kick into gear.

“We’re still building and I hope the fans understand it may take a few weeks more,” said Gavin. “I’m really pleased get Hisham in, he’s strong, powerful and left-footed. It’s no secret we are trying to bring in another centreback but it’s not easy to identify the right person. Ideally, I’d have liked everything to have come together by now so that the players all knew each other at the start of the season.  But we go to Torquay trying to spring an upset or at the very least give a good account of ourselves.”

Andrew Warshaw