The players have had five sessions at Whitelands Farm 3G facility in Bicester in preparation for our opening pre-season friendly with our near neighbours Easington Sports this Tuesday.

We have had over 20 players for each session so far, comprising returnees from last year, new signings, players who have been with us before and others who are trying to earn a deal with us for this season.

We have been missing a number of players due to holidays and injury which has not been ideal but this is something you become accustomed to during pre-season at this level. Let 's hope they are all ready for August 11th our first league fixture.

The training has been difficult, physically demanding and tough mentally but at this point the harder work has passed. We are now into the phase of pre-season where we will be fine tuning the group's fitness and giving them knowledge on how we will be playing.

The players have worked very hard and my staff have been exceptional in their planning of the training schedule and the implementation of it.

Mike