ANTONI Sarcevic says Wanderers will have to make pre-season count if they want to take promotion form into League One.

The club skipper will be at Lostock this morning for pre-season testing and will join the squad for the first full week of training on Monday.

Ian Evatt will welcome new signings Will Aimson, Josh Sheehan and George Johnston along with last season’s loanees Declan John and Dapo Afolayan.

It is understood a deal to sign Barrow goalkeeper Joel Dixon is also close to being completed and that he could train with the group next week.

Sarcevic has been impressed by the business done so far by the club and is keen to take momentum from last season’s success into League One.

“I think there’s an excitement around the club which has spilled over from promotion, and you want to use that,” he told The Bolton News.

“I have said before the spirit in the squad at the end of last season was amazing and I know when we go back in on Friday morning it will be exactly the same. We’ve all been waiting to get going again.

“But you know the harder work you put into pre-season the better chance you have of starting the season well. We don’t want the same problems as last year so I know the lads and myself will be right at it.”

Yesterday saw the announcement of the League One fixture list, which pits Wanderers at home to MK Dons on the opening day of the season.

It is planned be the first competitive game that Evatt, or the vast majority of his players, will have played in front of supporters at the University of Bolton Stadium.

Wanderers then host Barnsley in the Carabao Cup first round before back-to-back away games at AFC Wimbledon and Lincoln City on consecutive weekends.

Sarcevic believes the club’s opening month of fixtures give scope for the club to make a solid start to the season.

“It’s a little start to football being back, so I’m happy,” he said of the fixture announcement.

“It’s a good start for us and obviously MK Dons are a good, established League One side so it will give us a good indication as to where we are at in that first game.

“It’s a good start in general. I think we can pick up a few nice results in the first few games I can see and it’ll stand us in good stead.

“For us players who were here last season we don’t want the same thing to happen again, so we’ll be making sure that come August 7 we’re right at it.

“The fans are with us too, so it will be great to have them with us for the first game.”