Players can expect plenty of pre-season graft - Sinnott (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Players can expect plenty of pre-season graft - Sinnott

4:55pm Friday 12th June 2009 in

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With the players reporting back for training a fortnight on Tuesday, the countdown is on for the Bradford derby which will kick off Avenue’s pre-season fixtures.

Avenue manager Lee Sinnott is looking forward to facing three of his former clubs in pre-season and another where he began his coaching career.

Following the visit of the Bantams 33 days from now, Huddersfield Town and Oldham Athletic will also make the trip to Horsfall Stadium.

The club Sinnott began his coaching - at their Academy - was Leeds United, and they have also confirmed a friendly fixture.

Sinnott says there is work to do before his current squad of players can even begin to think about kicking a ball.

The boss wants to concentrate on getting the fitness right before contemplating a return to match action.

“These days the players know that they cannot afford too much living the high life because the close season is shrinking year after year. Football’s almost a year-round game now,” said Sinnott.

Gone are the days when there was three months between seasons and the players came back a stone heavier.

The modern-day footballer, even in the semi-pro ranks, has more of a responsibility to look after themselves. Even in general people are more aware of fitness and health issues.

Sinnott continued, “The players will be in decent shape when they return - they will have been jogging and even having a kickabout. They only switch off for their annual holiday and that is usually just for a fortnight.

“But they will need hard work when they get back, even taking all that into account. They will need a good pre-season regime under their belts. The demands of the game at this level necessitate that.

“We are fortunate that we have the facilities we do at this club - we have the use of the running track at Horsfall and the La Liga Soccer Centre. We can put the boys through a lot of work in diverse areas.

“There will be a lot of fitness work done in the first fortnight. The players can expect some running and training, both at Horsfall and La Liga. Now that the soccer centre has been extended and has the bigger seven-a-side pitches, it will be even more useful.

“But once we get the ball out and start the football training, you can’t beat doing that on a full-sized pitch.

"It is also important to stay on the grass surface as long as possible - there is no substitute for that type of work because it gets the squad ready for the proper matches.”