The departure of leading marksman Jono Gaon came as a blow to Los Blancos, but manager Jon Ison believes his club can have a good season regardless, with several players stepping up to the plate.
COMPETITIONS ENTERED: Most of them - it's our first year in the Peter Morison too, so we're hoping for beginners luck there!
HOPES FOR THE SEASON: We are hoping to improve on last season’s mid-table finish. It will be tough to win the league, but we're hoping for a top four finish ideally. I know we have the quality when everyone is fit and available.
PLAYERS IN: Due to Hendon folding, we have inherited some top quality players - whom we are hoping perform better in the white of Blancos than in the red of Hendon! The likes of Korman, Smulovitch, Steel and Gothold certainly add experience to our squad, along with the obvious qualities too.
Jo Davis in the centre of the park is great on the ball and certainly a young player to watch out for this season. We have a couple of others too that will certainly add that squad depth that at times last season we were lacking.
PLAYERS OUT: Unfortunately we have lost Jono Gaon - last season’s top-scorer and MGBSFL Young Player of the Year. We have a Liverpool/Suarez situation on our hands - I don't think he can be replaced by one player, but the aim is for the whole squad to be stronger to make up for it. I am expecting more goals to be shared round the team, and a tighter defence.
• We have lost Julian Gertner to the medical profession, but we hope he will be around now and again when he gets FOMO.
• Alex Lewis at full back is away until the second half of the season, and will be eager to return to the starting 11, but will have a fight on his hands to regain his place.
• Josh Gaon has relocated to Bournemouth to open a new branch of the LBLBA (Los Blancos Long Ball Association) so will be unavailable most the season unfortunately.
ONES TO WATCH: Last season’s captain Adam Waters is hoping to get amongst the goals this year. His Robben-like mazy runs certainly make him one to watch.
• James Joseph was one of our stand-out players last season, and we are certainly hoping he takes last seasons form into this year.
• Adam Hersh is looking forward to leading the line, and we know he is more than capable of finding the back of the net.
MAIN CHALLENGERS: To be honest, I don't focus too much on the opposition, I tend to focus on our own game. On our day, we are capable of beating anyone in the league, we just need to avoid silly mistakes that often cripple us.
CAPTAIN: Darren Russell. He only joined us last season, but his tireless running, quality in the middle of the pitch and his passion, made him the stand-out choice for this season. He loves giving team talks too - puts me out the job (which I'm fine with!).
WHAT WILL YOUR TEAM BRING TO THE LEAGUE THIS SEASON? A beautiful style of football. I reckon a mixture of how Barcelona/Bayern Munich/Real Madrid and MK Dons play.
