Charlie Kirk has told ifollow the Alex that he is aiming to build on his promising start to pre-season by forcing his way into David Artell’s plans for the opening games of the season.

Kirk did his chances no harm whatsoever by scoring a hat-trick inside five minutes in the club’s 7-2 win over Kidsgrove Athletic on Tuesday evening.

Kirk fired us into a 3-0 lead in our opening pre-season friendly by popping up perfectly inside the opposition box to finish his chances.

Kirk told us: “It is good to be back playing games. I think we have all missed it. It was a good start for the team and a good start for me, but I’ve got to kick on.

“I’ve worked hard in pre-season and I know I have got to score or create goals to get in the team. The manager and the staff have been drilling that into me. I know that. I think that I can score goals.

“There is a good mix in pre-season and we all want to be doing a lot better than last season. We are up for the challenge and we will get there.”

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