Paddy Davitt King's Lynn boss Keith Webb is backing major summer arrival Julian Joachim to sparkle ahead of tonight's opening Blue Square North home test against Redditch.

Paddy Davitt

King's Lynn boss Keith Webb is backing major summer arrival Julian Joachim to sparkle ahead of tonight's opening Blue Square North home test against Redditch. (7.45pm)

The 33-year-old former Aston Villa and Coventry striker was a surprise omission from Webb's starting line-up for Lynn's Conference bow at Burscough.

Joachim replaced the injured Jack Defty (back) midway through the first half of Lynn's 1-1 draw - but Webb insists his high profile recruit has a huge part to play.

“He needs to show us more but to be fair you have to understand where he is coming from,” said Webb. “Maybe I just need to sit down and have a chat with him. He's been operating at a different level alongside different players and it isn't easy. I don't care who you are it takes time to adjust and everyone needs to show a bit of patience because we all know what an asset he could be.

“I just felt at the weekend Michael (Frew) had done ever so well in pre-season. Jack Defty is obviously a focal point for the system we wanted to play and Joe Francis gives us that natural balance on the left. If we go back to a

4-4-2 way of playing he obviously comes back into the reckoning.”

Frew is again poised to deputise for Defty if the powerful targetman fails to shake off a back problem.

“We'll give him as late as possible,” said Webb. “You just don't know with that type of injury. It can settle down in a day or two. He lunged for the ball and felt his back spasm. Michael did everything I asked of him. He worked his socks off, got into good positions and tried very, very hard. I'd have no complaints putting in him again if it came to that.”

Webb is demanding collective improvement from his new-look squad.

“The lads know we can do better,” he said. “We spoke after the Burscough game about what I expect in certain areas and this is an early chance for us to put things right at home. Last season we had eight on the bounce away and what we did in those games raised expectations.

Hopefully we will get a decent crowd and it's important we try to keep that feelgood factor around the place that we had towards the end of last year. We won't be doing anything different at home but obviously we need to start positively and make it a hard place to come.

“I think it is a step up - no question. Things tend to happen a lot quicker so you need to be sharper and we are mindful it might take a few games to get used to the tempo. It's like anything in life. Put people in a new environment and they have to get used to it. Jack has not played at this level. Neither has Joe or Greg Crane. These are young lads who we believe can only improve.”

Webb insists Lynn's opening day Burscough draw offered a stark reminder the Southern Premier champions must learn quickly.

“We weren't sharp enough. We just didn't play and maybe in the Southern League you could get away with that,” he said. “It was like 'you attack, we attack'. They got to grips with our system and dictated at times.

“You always know when you lead 1-0 you can get pegged back. We had three new players in defence and they will need games to gel because at times perhaps we looked more like individuals than a cohesive unit.

“If I'd been offered a point beforehand I might've taken it but on reflection maybe they were there for the taking. We must raise our standards because we didn't play particularly well. Redditch lost at the weekend and will want to put that right but it's about us and what we do.”

t Lynn (from): Howie, Weaver, Chapman, Peters, Crane, Bridgwater, Frew, Sedgemore, J Defty, Camm, Francis, Joachim, Bloomfield, C Defty, Fisk, Murray.

t Club officials have confirmed from tonight's first home league game children aged 16 and under will gain entry to the ground for £3 per person in a change to the club's previous matchday admission price policy.