The duo are the most experienced of McEwan's 11 new recruits so far, since the wily Scot took the manager's reins when Mansfield Town was sold to a trio of local businessmen in the summer.

Former Barnsley defender Moses, released by Lincoln in the summer said: "It's been an enjoyable pre-season despite all the early problems and it's great to be getting under way properly on Saturday.

"Of course it has been difficult for us because we've had to play catch-up with Billy coming in late, and we've been a few weeks behind everyone else.

"But that's what happens when you have a take over, hardly any players signed on and trial players in – we've really been up against it, but thankfully we've done OK pre-season and managed to gel together a little in games and in training.

"A few more weeks of preparation would have been ideal in the circumstances but there's nothing we can do about that. The situation is that the first game has come round very quickly for us but we've just got to get on with it.

"We're all confident and hopeful that we're going to do well, but I don't think anyone can really say how much the time we are behind everyone else is going to affect things early on.

"After last week's result everyone thought we're not quite where we would like to be, but we've worked hard again this week and we're looking forward to getting going properly."

Moses has played throughout the football spectrum in the League, but Conference football will be a new experience for him.

"I've not played at this level before," he admitted, "and we're going to go to grounds where we've never been. It's still a decent level of football with a lot of good clubs in there and no-one thinks it's going to be easy.

"Mansfield will be seen as a scalp by a lot of teams, especially coming here to a nice set-up, so we all know it will be a tough season.

"But we've got some good players down here and hopefully we can do well. I'm looking forward to it.

"There's always a new optimism around a club when a new regime takes over, and the fans will be looking to see how everyone fares. I have sensed that the fans have been good with us during the pre-season games and those I have spoken to have all been very positive.

"I think they will get behind us. They know how tough it's been with so much that has changed at the club, and we'll be doing our best for them.

"Our home form is going to be an important part of our season. I know Billy has had good away records in the past, but if we can get the fans behind us at home and make it a difficult place for teams to come we'll do well.

"After Ebbsfleet on Saturday we've got a couple of home games against Histon and Kidderminster, hopefully to do well and then kick on from there."

Stallard, the vastly experienced ex-Notts County striker, added: "I've never known it before where you come into a club which has so few contracted players. Clubs have clearouts at the end of the season but this has been one to end all clearouts.

"A new regime, a new take over, a new manager, left things up in the air until the second or third week of pre-season so it's been difficult. We've had to knuckle down and it has tested the lads' professionalism.

"But I know the manager, I've worked with him before and I know how professional he is in his approach to everything he does.

"He'll be working as well as he can within the budgets and constraints that he has to get a decent team together and to get things run professionally off the pitch too. He won't settle for it being a Mickey Mouse club and he won't put up with players who will accept that sort of thing either.

"So although we have been behind everyone else in our preparations we're going into the new season believing that all that is in the past. We've now got to go on and do our job on the pitch. The players know it has been difficult but if as a result of that we can work together and create a siege mentality that has got to be good.

"We've got to make sure we hit the ground running on Saturday and in our first two home games. If we can get off to a good start then who knows where we can go?"