BOSS Neal Ardley is feeling relaxed ahead of the big League One kick off this weekend.

AFC Wimbledon head to Walsall to start the new season, ahead of the first game at the Cherry Red Records stadium on August 13 at home to Bolton Wanderers.

Sandwiched between the two is an EFL Trophy tie at Peterborough on August 9.

But, on the eve of the Dons’ first ever season in the third flight of English football, Ardley will not be suffering a sleepless night tonight.

“I am quite chilled, I was as relaxed as you could ever imagine before Wembley, and so we have 46 games to try to achieve what we want to, not one,” he said.

“If Saturday does not work out the way we want it to, then the games come around very quickly after.”

He added: “We’re ready for the step up and over the course of the season, we’re going to be a force to be reckoned with.

“We’ll be hard working, we will fight for each other, we’re athletic, fit and powerful, and we have pace.

“When we are without the ball, we are going to have to be very good, and if we can put all that together, we’ll be competitive.”

Ardley completed the signing of Tyrone Barnett this week, bringing his summer shopping to six new names.

Barnett joins Chris Whelpdale, Dean Parrett, Dom Poleon, Sean Kelly and Ryan Clarke on the freshers’ list.

And while Ardley has faith in his new signings, he admitted Saturday will be the first chance he gets to judge what shape they are in even though preparation could not have been better.

“We’re up a level so it is going to be tough, all the teams are just that bit better and we’re under no illusions of that,” he said.

“But in terms of fitness - we have logged every minute the players have had, they have all hit the targets we set.

“We have got the game time we wanted, we have got through relatively injury free, there has been nothing major and as far as the squad is concerned we are fully fit.

“We have now got to restart that momentum that we finished last season with.”

He added: “After the excitement of last season, there is the need to manage expectations, but I would like to I think that the majority of the sensible players will say that was unbelievable, but this next stage is going to be tough.

“Are we ready? Yes.”