Shaun Beeley admits pre-season is the worst time of year for a footballer, but he is excited to link up with Town’s new signings.
The Cod Army returned to training from their holidays on Friday and welcomed five new players to the squad ahead of the next campaign.
And Beeley, who enters his sixth pre-season since joining Fleetwood in 2007, believes the banter created within the camp helps to ease the rigorous fitness schedule.
“It’s brilliant meeting the new lads and hearing all the different stories,” he said.
“There are still some lads we’ve got to meet, but they are an all-round good set of lads.
“It’s the worst time (pre-season) throughout the year. Even though you’re gaining fitness it takes a lot out of you and you come away feeling like you’ve got asthma after a session.
“You get used to it year by year but it never gets easier with the game speeding up and the intensity of training.
“Hopefully we’ll have a laugh as well as the serious stuff.”
Beeley made 37 appearances for Town in all competitions last season – the third most behind goalkeeper Scott Davies and Junior Brown in midfield.
And after the Cod Army made a positive start in League 2 last season, the defender wants to see their form run right through to the end this time around.
“We’ve got to maintain our standards,” he continued.
“We started well (last season) but slipped away, so we’ve got to maintain the standards we set at the start.
“I took a bit of a slump towards the end of last season so I’ve got to maintain my own standards.
“The new gaffer (Graham Alexander) and (Chris) Lucketti help me with the way I play and hopefully it will improve me as a player.”
Beeley never managed to register a goal for Town last season but is planning to change that in the next campaign.
“Hopefully I can get a few more (goals) than last year. I thought I was a little bit reserved last year so I’m going to get as fit as I can and go all out this time.”