Gary Henry’s outfit endured seven pre-season outings, with the latest finishing in a 2-2 draw against fellow Premier Division side Burradon & New Fordley.

The Hornets also enjoyed workouts against the likes of South Shields U19s, Easington Colliery and Chester-le-Street United.

A number of players were meanwhile promoted to the first-team to earn experience in pre-season, with forwards Dan Savage and Ryan Hardie both grabbing goals.

Wallington are expected to be challenging towards the top end of the table this season after a third-place finish last year.

The Oakford Park side have played six pre-season friendlies, including Northern League clubs Whickham and Heaton Stannington.

They finished their preparations on Saturday, July 22 with a narrow 3-2 win over Rothbury for the Mark Bruce Memorial Trophy.

PRE-MATCH THOUGHTS

“It'll be a hard game," explained Reserves manager Gary Henry.

"They've kept hold of the two best strikers in the league - they were both top scorers last season so it'll be a physical battle up top.

"We're going there with confidence and no fear - we need to win our individual battles and get points on the board early.

"We're expecting a tough season ahead and Wallington is a good challenge to get started with because they'll be up there again this year."

VENUE INFO

Kick-off is at 2:30pm on Saturday afternoon at Oakford Park, Scots Gap (NE61 4EJ).