Fleetwood Town

Fleetwood Town’s Assistant Manager, Craig Madden, is confident that the training facilities at Obertraun in Austria are providing a suitable environment as they begin preparations gather pace for Town

By David Mitchell

Fleetwood Town’s Assistant Manager, Craig Madden, is confident that the training facilities at Obertraun in Austria are providing a suitable environment as they begin preparations gather pace for Town’s first season in the Football League:

‘It’s a beautiful setting surrounded by mountains.  The weather is prone to changes from sun to rain and back again in a matter of minutes but the fitness guys tell me that it is the best air to be training in!  I must admit that wasn’t something that I took a lot of notice of in my playing days!’ ‘The beauty of the venue is that the entire focus is on football.  It is away from the many temptations at home which can make players a little sluggish and with three training sessions a day we are able to keep them focused.  The pitches and facilities are ideal and we are all in the same accommodation block.  The players want for nothing so we hope that we’ll get the best out of them.’ This is the second time in three years that Town have visited Austria and Madden has been pleased with what has been achieved so far: ‘The players are looking in good shape and have worked hard after the journey down from Salzburg.   They are a little tired as a result but will have a swim and a weights session and we can assess progress again in the morning.’ Key to the team’s success in the npower League 2 will be the contribution of the new signings and it is a case of ‘so far, so good’ for Madden: ‘They have settled in well.  They are all experienced professionals who have seen it all before.’ With a fifteen-year playing career behind him, Madden is aware of the importance of building up the pre-season momentum stage by stage: ‘There are a few aches and pains among the squad as a whole, which we expect, but we don’t want to go at it too hard.  We’ve got around six weeks to prepare the best possible eleven to be off and running for the start of the new season.’ Town’s first competitive game as a Football League side is the Capital One Cup (League Cup) tie at home to Nottingham Forest on Monday 13^th August. The first npower League 2 game is at home to Torquay United on Saturday 18^th August. Tickets for both games, and the first six home games, are now on sale. See here for details of ticket prices. Season tickets and Junior Cod Army memberships, allowing free entry to league games for under 12’s, can be found here. Parkside Suite hospitality is £45 per person and hospitality boxes are £600 + VAT. All packages include a match day programme and VIP seating area. To book your package call Dave Riche on 01253 775080 or 07854 846820 or e-mail dave.riche@fleetwoodtownfc.com