Forward Paddy Madden spoke to the press ahead of Fleetwood Town’s Sky Bet League One clash against Burton Albion at Highbury on Saturday.
The striker was in form for the Cod Army in pre-season, and this was evident in the side's final pre-friendly against Darlington, when he netted a hat-trick against the National League North side.
Madden - who scored a hat-trick against in this fixture last season - will be eligable for this Saturday's fixture against The Brewers, after serving a two-game suspension.
Here is what Paddy had to say ahead of Saturday's game...
On the league this year…
“We have a good group of players in the dressing room, who want to win. We are all competitors so we will be looking at promotion again this year and we like to think that, since the gaffer has come in, that we have progressed each year so there’s no reason why we won’t do it again.
“I was looking at the table and I thought that this was going to be a tough year. I’ve played in this league for a few years now and looking at the teams, it’s going to be the toughest it’s been in a long while.
“A lot of the teams in the league this year have played in the Premier League. So, it’s going to be a close one. I think people forget about the likes of Sunderland and Ipswich who didn’t get into the play-offs last year, so we can expect a competitive league that’ll keep you on your toes each week."
On the team’s recent performances…
“The lads have been flying. The boys have won two from two so you can’t knock them at the minute. They are doing very well, and even in training, the standards are great, so we are looking good.
“I’ve watched the two games that have been and gone. I was at the Wigan game, and I watched the Carlisle one on iFollow. Two very good performances from the boys and that is what you want.
“It’s good to see goals going because it makes us all play better and keeps us on our toes as competition in the squad is a big thing if we want to look at those promotion spots.”
On Ched Evans’ influence…
“When Ched [Evans] came on up top, he really played well and helped make the team work well as a group. There was a lot of character shown to come from two goals down.
“Some people say that some strikers play better angry, you can’t make them too angry, but everybody needs a kick up the backside now and again, and Ched got that. He came on and scored two goals.
“If Ched’s in the middle, he’s one of the best at that role. He’s shown what he can do against Wigan and he was unstoppable. We need that every week now as we head into the season.”