MANAGER: Workington guarantee us a good fixture

“We’re looking to integrate some of the younger players this season which gives them an opportunity to show us what they can do,” he explained. “It shows everyone that if they’re good enough, and they work hard enough, I’m going to have a look at them.

“We’re trying to create a learning environment and, at times, there’s no better way to do that than by giving a young player a taste of what’s in store for him. 

“Another area we’ve looked at is that we’re making sure all of the professionals get to know the youth team players within a two-week time span. That way they all know their names and that’s important for making the young players feel part of it.

“We’re building up a good spirit within the training environment and hopefully that will stand us in good stead for the season ahead.”

“We’ve planned our pre-season for all of our players so that we are continually stepping things up,” he continued. “That’s why we go to Workington today. 

“We wanted the first two games to be a test and we were aware that Queen of the South were two weeks ahead of us in terms of when they came back. 

“We’ve been pushed in both games and I’m sure that will be the same again this afternoon. I know when I was a player I’d rather be playing games than training, so this is another good test and a chance to get more pitch time under the belt.

“There will be some players who play 45 minutes and others who will get more. The good thing is we know it will be another very worthwhile run-out because Workington are always very welcoming and they guarantee us a good fixture.”