Droitwich Spa Manager Quentin Townsend sat down with dsfc.news to give his thoughts on the pre-season preparations, and looks ahead to Saturday's League opener at Roman Glass St George (ko 3pm).

You can see the full interview below:

As the summer 2026 pre-season draws to a close, I think we’ve had a campaign that’s probably been similar to many other clubs.

There have been new faces through the door, players moving on, lads returning fit, others coming back needing a bit more work, and unfortunately a few injuries picked up along the way.

Overall, though, I’m pleased with where we are.

I’ve been happy with the recruitment we’ve made and equally pleased with much of what I’ve seen on the pitch.

When you look at the games in context, we’ve tested ourselves against some very good opposition. We’ve played two Step 4 sides and, for 45 to 60 minutes before making multiple changes, I thought we more than held our own.

We also faced a full-strength Step 1 Kidderminster Harriers side and were still level at 0-0 after around 70 minutes before two set-pieces decided the game.
To still be in the contest at that stage against opposition of that quality was a real positive.

We’ve also had mixed results against teams closer to our own level.
We lost 2-1 to Knowle in a game that we were disappointed not to get more from, before finishing pre-season with a draw against local side Worcester United.

While the final two results weren’t quite how we’d have liked to finish, I take huge encouragement from the performances against the higher-level opposition.
They’ve shown me that this group is capable of competing and holding its own.

As I write these notes, we’ve still got two training sessions before we head to Roman Glass St George on Saturday for the opening League fixture.
I’ll be honest, I don’t know a great deal about them, but everything I’ve been told suggests they’re one of the strongest sides in the Division. They’ve consistently been near the top of the table in recent seasons and have finished runners-up more than once, so we know we’ll be facing a well-organised, well-drilled team.

It’s a difficult way to start the season, but in many ways it’s the perfect test.
By Saturday evening we’ll have a much clearer idea of where we are, how competitive we can be, and what, if anything, we still need to improve. It’s a challenge we’re looking forward to.

Finally, I’d like to thank all of our supporters.
Your backing, both home and away throughout pre-season, has been outstanding. The numbers you’ve turned out in have been fantastic and the players really appreciate your support.

Hopefully we’ll return from Roman Glass with three points. If not, then at the very least we’ll be aiming to come away with something to build on.

Whatever happens, I’m confident we’re in for an exciting season.

Thank you once again for your continued support, and I look forward to seeing you all at our first home league game against Cinderford Town on 4th August.

Come on you Saltmen!