First team coach Clint Hill admits that the pre-season friendly against Port Vale on Wednesday night will be a tough but good test for the squad.
Town have just returned from a week-long training camp in Portugal and are now back on the pitches at Poolfoot, preparing for a packed pre-season schedule ahead of the big kick-off in early August.
Fleetwood have played two first-team pre-season games so far, starting with a 1-0 win over Wrexham at Poolfoot on the 5th July – thanks to a Michael Fowler goal. Then, a young line-up finished their 1-0 loss against a vastly experienced Millwall side out in Portugal.
Here are some of the best quotes from Clint Hill’s pre-match interview…
On Port Vale…
“We’ve had a decent training camp in Portugal, with a tough game against Millwall a couple of days ago which was good. The lads have come back flying, and in good shape and we go to another difficult place now in Port Vale. It will give us a different test – a night game and a big pitch – it’s always a difficult game against them. It’s another test to respond to.
“I remember playing against them not long ago, against Pope. He’s a very good striker who will let you know when he’s about and I’m sure Vale will be up for it. It’s another scalp for them, as we are a league above, so I’m sure they will raise their game so it’s up to us to go down there, show our mantle and give a good performance. It will be a good but tough test.”
On the training camp in Portugal last week…
“It was good, hot and we trained really hard. We did triple sessions on most days and the lads responded well. Even with difficult surfaces and high temperatures, the lads dug in and showed the togetherness that we’ve been looking for. Hopefully they will get the benefits of that inn the next few weeks and kick on for the start of the season.
“The new signings have been brilliant they’ve settled in really well which we knew they would because we’ve got a great group of lads here who make everyone feel really welcome. In the short amount of game time on the pitch, they’ve made a big difference so it’s all positive at the moment. Hopefully we can look at getting some more in the building before the season starts going in a couple of weeks.”
On the return to training in England…
“We can’t get away from the sun at the moment, but I know that will change over the next few months, the wind and rain will come in and we’ll be crying for this! It’s good to get back on the two pitches here at Poolfoot, the groundsmen have done a fantastic job and it’s always a pleasure to step out on these pitches in the morning.”