Shakers primed for return to training (From The Bolton News)

Shakers primed for return to training

2:20pm Thursday 2nd July 2009 in

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BURY report back for pre-season on Monday with manager Alan Knill admitting he hopes to put the finishing touches to his squad in the next few weeks.

The Shakers manager is pleased with his lot and says he is only looking for two or three players to boost competition.

A number of trialists will get the chance to impress over the summer while Knill is still hoping to broker a deal for a loan player from a club in a higher division.

“We have a group of trialists coming in and we hope we can find something within them,” said Knill. “The good thing, however, is that we are in no rush.

“If the season started tomorrow we would have a team and that means we won’t be panicked into signing anyone.

“I would like to bring in two or three players but everything depends on wages because we are working to a budget and it’s quite tight.

“We are looking at bringing in a loan player for six or 12 months, but it’s important that they are the right type of player.

“We don’t want somebody who is not going to feature. We want to add quality like we did last season with Elliott Bennett, John Welsh, Phil Jevons and Mark Tyler.”

The players return on Monday, and Knill is promising a more structured approach to pre-season than the stereotypical lung-busting runs that used to form the basis of summer training. Knill said: “There will be running involved, but there is football in there too. It’s changed now.

“Players don’t abuse themselves anymore because they know what they are facing when they return.

“They were all sent instructions on how to keep trim during the summer and I expect them all to come back in reasonable shape.

“I had some pre-seasons when I was playing when we didn’t see a ball for two weeks and then we would be expected to be good on it.

“There will be some running, and it is different to what they normally do, but it’s more structured and scientific these days.”

Bury’s first pre-season fixture is against Radcliffe Borough at Stainton Park on Monday, July 13.

Oldham Athletic visit Gigg Lane on July 18, as will Sheffield United one week later.

A clash with FC United on July 29 is followed by a trip to Fleetwood on August 1.