Scott McGarvery admits Manchester Maccabi 1st suffered a 'wake-up call' after their opening-day defeat.
McGarvey's men have swapped the Accountants League for the Cheshire & Manchester Sunday Football League.
But last season's champions discovered it will prove all that much tougher after slipping up against King George 2-0.
Maccabi are heading into the unknown, but boss McGarvey would have it no other way.
He said: "We want to be tested. Once Flixton pulled out, we would go on to win the league without doubt. It's nice but you want to test yourselves. Why would you want to be winning seven, eight or nine nil every week? It doesn't do anyone good.
"So we made the decision to move and I think it will prove the right one. The start we've had proved how tough it will be.
There is a jump in quality and it's a wake-up call to the players. They have trained well but sides are stronger at this level.
"I'm confident we will have a good season and will be in the title shake-up. We have a lot of quality ourselves and some very good players who will excel. I think this was just a blip."
Manchester Maccabi 1st made the most of Flixton's demise to sign Michael Sacks. Louis Basso has also returned to their ranks for this season.
McGarvey added: "We will get back onto the training field and work hard. Our effort or fitness wasn't lacking, it was just a bit of quality in the final third. Some of the players looked a bit low on confidence and not on top of their game. But we will rectify that."
They are joined by South Manchester Sports 1st in the new league. But Neil Collins' men fared little better after crashing 3-0 to Manchester Athletic.
Manchester Maccabi 2nd, who won promotion last season, have remained in the Accounts Premier Division. But Greg Louca's side suffered a similar early setback, losing 3-1 against Lawds. Joe Lewis was their goal-scorer.
To get more from Life, click here to sign up for our free Life newsletter.