Paddy Madden believes that the key to success this season for Fleetwood Town will be hard work.
The striker – who is taking part in his tenth pre-season of his career - knows just what it takes to get a team promoted to the Championship.
Having helped Yeovil Town and Scunthorpe United gain promotion, the Irishman told us the right ingredients and what a team needs to be successful.
“I believe the key to success is hard work,” said Madden, who helped guide Yeovil to the Championship after scoring in the 2013 Play-Off Final against Brentford.
“I have been in this league a very long time, and when you look at Shrewsbury last year, they were hard to break down and worked for each other, and through that they nearly did it.
“You do need that bit of quality as well within the team, but the main thing is hard work and the rest will follow on the pitch.
“Pre-season has gone well so far, and I just can’t wait for the new season to get going.
The 28-year old knows how important competition for places is within a team, and with a number of attacking players at Town’s disposal, he feels he will thrive with the other players.
“All strikers are judged on goals,” added Madden.
“I do think that having competition around me helps me thrive to become better, and it’s also healthy for the players.
“It spurs us all on and makes us perform better during training and on match days.
“Personally for me I have a target in mind for goals for next season. I didn’t give myself any targets when I joined the club in January, but I am ready to go.
“I know how important it is to get myself as fit as possible during pre-season, and hopefully this will help me hit my targets I have set.”
When asked about Town’s first pre-season friendly match against National League side Salford City, the striker added: “It should be a tasty fixture.
“We are all looking forward to it, and there’s a lot of former players there like Pondy [Nathan Pond] and Chris Neal, plus a few others I know.
“This really is a season I am excited for and can’t wait to get underway.”