Ainsdale hope a winter signing spree can bring success when summer comes around.
Pakistani slow left-armer Mohammad Irfan heads a long list of additions to Andy Barlow’s squad, as they target another tilt at promotion from Division One.
Since relegation in 2017, Ainsdale have finished fourth, seventh and fifth - a middling run which the skipper hopes they can snap out of, with a little help from their new friends.
Barlow said: “It’s a time of transition for the club, and hopefully with all the signings, it’s happening quicker than expected and will push us on.
“If you look back pre-Covid, there’s only about three players still in the side from 2019.
“It’s exciting for the club to have competition for places, which we’ve not really had in the past.
“We’re ready to get stuck in.”
As well as the experienced Irfan - Ainsdale’s first overseas left-arm spinner - Barlow is excited to see what seamer Owen Harrison can do.
“He bowls off the wrong foot, and he bowls late swingers,” added Barlow.
Another student, wicketkeeper-batter Harry Turnbull, will add some solidity to the middle order, while top-order batter Luke Smith and former Widnes seamer Matt Parkinson have also signed up.
Barlow hopes his new-look side can gel quickly and overcome something that’s become an unwanted club tradition at Liverpool Road - the slow start.
He said: “This will be my 14th season and I don’t remember a year when we’ve got out of the blocks.
“Hopefully, going into it with a lot of new players will mean people don’t know how to play against us.
“If we can get a good start then I know we’ll definitely be up there - but we always end up playing catch-up and that makes it hard to get promoted.
“But a good start can set us up for the season.”
