MARK Fish completed his first day back at training and declared his determination to lift the Wanderers back into the Premiership.

The South African defender looked fit and relaxed on his first pre-season outing with no signs that the demands of international football had sapped his strength.

"It was a great experience to play at such a level," he said.

"I have learned a lot as a player which I believe will strengthen our chances of promotion back to the top flight.

"Our prime concern now is to win back that spot in the Premiership. I still think about how unlucky we were to go down last season but on my first day back it is obvious the team spirit is good and the lads are all up for it."

The next ten days are crucial in preparing for the visit to Crystal Palace but Fish says, despite his time off, he is not worried about his fitness.

"I've got naturally high levels of fitness so I don't have a lot of catching up to do. I just need to sharpen up my game a little before we begin the new season's campaign".

The new season will not be top priority for Jusi Jaaskelainen at the moment. The young Finnish keeper,who played his first full 90 minutes for the Wanderers on the Irish Tour, has just become a father for the first time when his wife gave birth to a baby boy on Saturday.

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