NEIL Lennon has fired back at criticism of his pre-season training methods, insisting: “I’m seeing results.”

Fitness specialist Raymond Verheijen, who has worked with a variety of sides across Europe, took a pop at Wanderers via Twitter last week when the club posted details of a triple session in their Austrian base at Pallau, accompanying a picture of an exhausted Darren Pratley.

The Dutchman has also taken aim at other managers, including West Brom boss Tony Pulis, but Lennon is not taking his words to heart.

“Raymond has been critical of a lot of clubs but I don’t think I need to substantiate myself because he doesn’t know what we’re doing,” he told The Bolton News.

“I’ve been a manager for four or five years, I’ve been a player for 25 years, so I think I know a little bit about pre-season.”

Wanderers have been worked hard in the last week but have mixed the traditional on-field training sessions with others sports such as boxing, mountain biking and kayaking to keep the spirits up.

The Whites go into their last friendly game against Paderborn SC tonight with no serious injury concerns.

Emile Heskey and Liam Trotter sat out Saturday’s 2-1 defeat against Sturm Graz with minor problems but both are expected to feature against the German side for 45 minutes.

Striker Max Clayton – still recovering from a serious knee injury – is likely to wait until he is back in England before stepping up to competitive football, although he has joined in some of the training sessions in Pallau.

Lennon saw enough in Saturday’s performance to suggest the hard work is paying off, and having voiced concerns at his squad’s conditioning last season, he is hoping for better this time around.

“We need to be fitter and stronger because it’s a marathon of a campaign and if we can build that foundation now then hopefully it will set us up,” he said.

“The players have said it has been difficult but I think we’ll feel the benefit.

“We’ve got one more game here and then another four or five at home in England, so I wouldn’t say they’ll be at full pelt for the first game of the season but by a few games in you’d expect top condition.”

Tonight’s game at the 12,000 capacity Franz Fekete Stadium in Kapfenberg sees Bolton go up against one of its twin towns in Paderborn.

Although the fixture has not been planned through the twinning authority, there is a link between the two towns that goes back to 1975.