IT is going to be a massive season for Rhyl as they look to finally make their return to the JD Welsh Premier League.

The Lilywhites have undergone a complete overhaul of their backroom and playing staff during the summer as they look to improve their fortunes on the pitch, and it would be a huge shock if they were not in the Huws Gray Alliance title shake-up next spring.

Eddie Maurice-Jones, Gareth Wilson, Richard Williams-Cooke and Daniel Reese form the new management team and they have assembled a heavyweight squad that has more than enough talent to secure the crown.

With fierce rivals Bangor City also vying for promotion following their relegation from the top flight, it is going to be another pulsating campaign with plenty at stakes following significant investment from a number of different clubs.

Maurice-Jones is a proven winner who is widely regarded as one of the best man-managers anywhere in the region, and this was further reflected in the success of Denbigh Town last season under the former Gresford Athletic boss.

With all due respect to the Central Park side, the Lilies are another step-up in both reputation and expectation, but Maurice-Jones has brought in players that he trusts and who are fiercely loyal to him, so commitment will not be an issue which is the minimum that Rhyl supporters demand of their players.

Their defensive unit has been significantly bolstered with the arrivals of Ben Nash, Dan Sullivan, Reece Fairhurst and Max Peate, with goalkeeper Rory Crowther staying on at the club after a standout campaign that saw him emerge as arguably the best keeper operating outside of the top flight.

They also have plenty of creativity in their ranks in the likes of Dave McIntyre and Mike Pritchard, and there is plenty of strength-in-depth that will be able to cope with the rigours that come with playing in the HGA.

Key man: Kristian Pierce

This is a big year in the career of Pierce, who possesses unlimited potential and this management team seems to get the very best out of the talented forward.

There is nothing he cannot do providing he puts his mind to it, and if pre-season is any indication then he is determined to fulfil his enormous promise which will only be a good thing for the Lilies in what is his second spell at the club.

Pierce is a very direct runner with a superb engine and eye for goal, and his enthusiasm is matched only by his quality and any success that comes the Lilywhites’ way will be largely dependent on his consistency.

Player to watch: James Murphy

Murphy promises to be the main beneficiary of improved support this season as he looks to build on a promising end to the campaign last term.

He showed his class after joining midway through the season in what was an underachieving side, and hopes are high that he can be amongst the top scorers in the league this season given the amount of quality that has been put around him this time around.

Verdict:

All eyes will be on the Belle Vue Stadium and it is imperative that they start well, but the togetherness of a squad that have played together previously is going to ensure that chemistry is the least of their worries during their first few fixtures.

The talent is there, the structure is now in place and few would argue that this is a club that deserves to be playing in the WPL, so it will be up to them to make sure they set their stall out from the first whistle until the last which should be with it some silverware when the final placings are decided.

Prediction: 1st (Huws Gray Alliance)

First five fixtures: Aug 11: Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochant (A), Aug 18: Ruthin Town (A), Aug 21: Prestatyn Town (A), Aug 24: Penrhyncoch (H), Sept 1: Porthmadog (A).