The thoughts of Dean Smith...
EVERYONE is raring to go; we’ve been building up to this day since returning to pre-season training in June.The players have displayed a fantastic attitude and work ethic and nearly all of them have got the 500 minutes of game time under their belts that we wanted them to.
I’m really pleased with what I’ve got and what we’ve done on the training ground this summer. Jon Whitney set the lads a maintenance programme to follow during the summer so that they were able to hit the ground running and he has since worked extremely hard on their fitness levels and injury prevention. We’ve assembled a strong group this year with players who are able to step straight into the system.
It’s important that the lads stay together, even those who don’t start the season in the team, because they will all be needed and have a part to play as the season progresses.
The quality of the players is extremely encouraging and we look forward to the challenges that lie ahead.
The first test comes in the form of Tranmere Rovers. I have a lot of admiration for the work that Ronnie Moore has done at Prenton Park.
They will be committed and organised and it will be a tough opener for us.
Both teams will have new faces eager to make an initial impact and hopefully it will be us who gets off to a winning start.
DEAN SMITH