Neil Warnock is giving his Cardiff City players a snapshot of grassroots' football with Friday night's friendly at Taff's Well, admitting he still gets the "buzz" ahead of a new season.

The Bluebirds' pre-season campaign gets underway in earnest with a friendly against the Welsh League Division One outfit in front of nearly 3,000 people. It will be a momentous occasion for the Wellmen, though Warnock insists it's a valuable experience for his players too.

The game was Warnock's brainchild with gate receipts split between two charities close to his heart: Cancer Research and Velindre, as well as Taff's Well FC.

And the manager has been true to his word, naming a strong squad that includes Sol Bamba, Sean Morrison, Joe Ralls and company.

Only those late back from international duty will miss the game: Kenneth Zohore, Aron Gunnarsson and Junior Hoilett, with new signing Lee Tomlin and the injured Callum Paterson sidelined. Idriss Saadi, Kadeem Harris and Lee Peltier will also miss out.

For Warnock though, connecting with a local club and local people, who are the lifeblood of a "special club" like Cardiff City, is paramount.

Because while the game at the Rhiw'r Ddar stadium might appear unglamorous to some, the veteran boss cannot wait for the nitty gritty to get started — and what better place than a grassroots club in Bluebirds-supporting heartland?

"When I go out into the Valleys I don't just do that to get a few 'well dones'," Warnock revealed. "I go out to communicate with all the local people — and that's why I go to Taff's Welll.

"I've always gone to a local team to start (pre-season) with. You get critics but it brings the players down to earth.

"I had someone saying to me 'do you want to get changed at (Cardiff City Stadium)' but I said 'do I hell?' I want to change at Taff's Well, in their dressing room and let the players have a look at it — because they might be playing there if it wasn't for me!"

Joking aside, Warnock sees the game as a perfect opportunity to get competitive football back underway. The Bluebirds soon head to Devon and Cornwall for a pre-season tour, before a visit to the Yorkshireman's former club Burton Albion awaits on August 5. Then comes another tasty affair against big-spending, promotion-chasing Aston Villa, the Bluebirds' first league game at home.

"I think it's my 38th (pre-season)," recalled Warnock, who admits being revitalised during nine months in South Wales. "That sounds a lot but that's just as a manager, so I think it's about 49 seasons as player and manager.

"I do still get the buzz and I owe that to Sharon, my wife. With the medical problems that she had that brought a lot of things into perspective, but the Cardiff fans have been fantastic, I got my zest back and my passion and I didn't think I could get that really.

"This is the pinnacle for me. Cardiff's such a big club and I don't think even Cardiff realise how big a club they could be."

Warnock's bond with the Bluebirds' fans is such that he hopes to construct a long-running relationship with the club. It's a relationship built on community involvement and taking the club back to its roots.

And at Taff's Well on Friday night, Wellmen fans and Bluebirds supporters alike will come together for a brilliant occasion.

It's the kind of event Warnock wants to be part of for years to come.

"I think it's great for me to be involved and I hope I'm involved for many years," he added. "Because I still think there'll be a role for me when management's finished. My experience is vital and this club is so special."

However, despite Warnock's promotion ambitions for the coming year, the Bluebirds have been written off by bookmakers.

Yet the manager is ignoring the odds, knowing there's an extra factor that bookies have not considered. The fans dub it 'The Warnock Factor', though the manager himself observes a much stronger squad and a formidable fanbase that will be key to realising those ambitions.

Anything is possible with a winning mentality, and Warnock's job now is to build that team ethos over the coming weeks. Pre-season is all about fitness and feeling. Both will come in time.

"The bookies aren't silly and we're supposed to be eighth from the bottom," Warnock added. "But we've got a great bunch of supporters here that can make a big difference at home, and away from home they've been really vocal.

"What we want is a side that can go anywhere and win that game. Yes you're going to have hiccups and disappointments but in the Championship you've got so many games you've just got to get over those disappointments, look forward and look how we can improve.

(Image: Cardiff City FC)

Referring to the club's summer signings, which now total seven including newest recruit Lee Tomlin , Warnock added: "Tactically we've got so many options now. I think we only had six subs at times last season, whereas now we've got people who can come off the bench and change a game."