DEAD-BALL king Tony Carss will be Town's first-choice penalty taker this season.
Should Peter Jackson's side get a spot-kick in tomorrow's Coca-Cola League I opener against Stockport County at Edgeley Park (3.00), Carss will get the nod.
Carss wasn't playing when Danny Schofield scored from the spot against Lincoln in the play-off semi-finals, but the former Oldham player netted alongside Rob Edwards, Schofield and Lee Fowler in the final shoot-out in Cardiff.
"I'm blessed with several players in the squad who are happy taking penalties, which is great, but Carssy will have the job," said Jackson, who travels with a 19-man squad.
"He has real quality at dead-ball situations, but so do the likes of Danny and Rob and I'm looking for us to be productive from all our set plays this season."
Goalkeeper Ian Gray (hand injury) plays his first senior match in nine months against the club who paid £200,000 for his services in 1997.
Edwards is expected to get the vote ahead of Anthony Lloyd at left wing-back while summer signing Junior Mendes is all set to make his debut alongside Andy Booth in attack.
"My message to the lads tomorrow will simply be to believe in themselves," said Jackson, who was putting the finishing touches to Town's build-up today.
"We have got every reason to be confident and to enjoy our football and, when we do that, I'm more than happy we've got the ability to win.
"The lads are capable of playing some very good football and we know we'll have great support over there with more than 2,000 fans making the trip, so we are all looking forward to it.
"It's important we make a better start to the season away from home than we did last time and I've impressed on the lads how vital it is for us to be a hard side to beat.
"Since Christmas we've been exactly that and it would be really nice to come back with a clean sheet tomorrow, because of we do that I'm confident we will also have three points in the bag.
"I'm sure the lads are ready to give it 110%, which is all that the fans and myself can ask, and if we combine that effort and determination with the excellent football we are well capable of playing, we will be okay."
On Stockport, he added: "They are fancied by a lot of people to do well this season under Sammy McIlroy and, in Luke Beckett, they have a proven scorer who is back from injury - so it won't be easy.
"We will have to defend well and watch the likes of Warren Feeney, who is lively, but I'm confident we will do well."
Stockport County (from): Cutler, Adams, Hardiker, Mair, Geary, Welsh, Barlow, Byrne, Feeney, Beckett, Feeney, Bridge-Wilkinson, Williams (A), Lambert, Morrison, Cartwright, Daly, Spencer, Lescott, McLachlan, Goodwin.
Town (probable): Gray, Holdsworth, Edwards, Yates, Sodje, Mirfin, Carss, Schofield, Worthington, Booth, Mendes. Subs (from): Senior, Brandon, Brown, McAliskey, Abbott, Fowler, Clarke, Lloyd.
Referee: Trevor Parkes (Birmingham).
