New London Colney manager Ken Charlery says there is a long way to go but the welcome and the early stages at the club has been good.

The former Watford and Birmingham City striker stepped in, along with new chairman Gareth Davies, to save the Cotlandswick-based football club when it looked as if their days were numbered earlier this summer.

And Charlery explained why the pair felt the need to take the plunge with the Blueboys

“At the end of the day I’m a football person,” he said. “I’ve come from non-league and to see a club disappear is a shame and a tragedy.

“So that was the thought behind it. Gareth and I sat down and had a word and decided we’d go for it, not knowing that there were other consortiums interested. Out of the three we got the nod.

“The reaction has been good. The players that we have been digging up from our past and present, they’ve all come on board and they all know the situation.

“There’s a long way to go though and a lot of infrastructure still to sort yet.”

They held a well-attended family fun day on Saturday with their opening pre-season friendly against Kings Langley the centrepiece.

And Charlery was delighted not only with the result, a 0-0 draw, but also the performance of his rapidly-assembled squad.

“It was good,” he enthused. “I said to the boys, they’re two divisions above us and we’ve only just got together. I’m not really worried about the result.

“I just wanted to see what we’ve got, what level we’re at and for players to get to know each other. And the boys done well.

“It’s hard in terms of where there is no money. Myself and Gareth decided this season that we weren’t going to pay the players as we’ve got other stuff to proritise first and foremost.

“Getting players in at this level when they’re not going to get paid is so hard but we’ve got an honest bunch of players in that changing room.

“They all want to play, which is a great testament to themselves. They all want to come down and play for me, Stuart and Gareth and at the moment, touch wood, it’s all going well.”

The Blueboys’ pre-season campaign continued on Tuesday with a 2-2 draw with Barton Rovers, Chris Shennan and Kambo Smith getting the goals.