Town gear up for pre-season training

Town won’t start their friendlies until July 15 when they travel to Hitchin Town, but Neilson is confident the squad will have looked after themselves in the close season.

He said: “Gone are the days where you go away for the close season and if you do nothing for six weeks, you’ll find out and you’ll be playing catch up.

“The game is quicker now and when they come in, they should be fit. It’s our job to fine-tune that and get ready for our first game of pre-season.

“All the stuff has been planned, all the fine details thought about, the games are being arranged and we’re looking forward to getting back into it.”

In olden times, pre-season for Hatters and most other sides would more than likely have consisted of running, running and more running.

That has all changed according to Neilson though, with much more emphasis on ball work from the start.

He continued: “We try and bring the ball out straight away.

“Gone are the days when you get the lads in, don’t get the balls out and just run them and run them.

“We try to get them out, then really look at virtually getting straight into it. We might have a little game in the morning, then do some running and try and vary the training so it doesn’t get boring.

“We look into everything and keep it good for them.”

Town have home matches with Parma and Gabala, while they are also heading to Wales for a mini-tour, playing Colwyn Bay, The New Saints and Airbus UK Broughton.

Neilson added: “We’ve got some good games with teams below us and then Parma and Gabala are high quality affairs.

“We’re away for a few days in Wales too, with three quick games, and will keep them ticking over in between.

“It’s great for the team to go away, the new players can knit together, while the others can reacquaint themselves.

“Pre-season is really all about getting the lads ready, match fit and injury free for the first game on August 13.”