Boulding in frame for first friendly
9:38am Wednesday 16th July 2008
City throw themselves into pre-season action tonight with much-in-demand striker Michael Boulding set to get a runout.
Stuart McCall’s men face Farsley at Throstle Nest in the first of seven friendlies building up to the new campaign.
The City boss is likely to give everyone some game time – including Boulding, who is currently training with the Bantams as he continues to assess his options from the number of clubs chasing him.
His brother Rory, who also left Mansfield after their relegation, is with City at the moment as well and likely to feature in the game.
Goalkeeper Nick Colgan will play as he looks to earn a deal as City’s No 1 for the new season and travelling fans will also gain their first glimpse of signings Graeme Lee, Chris Brandon, Paul McLaren and Paul Arnison.
The Farsley game follows two weeks of hard toil on the training ground for the City squad and veteran hot-shot Peter Thorne is eager to get going.
“You’d think after all these years that pre-season would be a drag but I’m really looking forward to the games again,” he said.
“No matter what you’ve done on the training pitch, it’s nothing to when you go into the first game. You’re completely full on again.
“It’s everything from getting down to the ground, going through the same preparation you do during the season and making sure it all becomes second nature again.”
Thorne added: “We’ve done a hell of a lot of football this pre-season as well as the fitness work and the lads are looking really sharp.
“You can tell already that the touch is a lot better. Some of us don’t see a ball for two months in the summer because we get away from it completely so it’s good to get them out early.”
Thorne suffered in pre-season last year with a troublesome thigh injury which sparked the problems that plagued the first few months of his Valley Parade career.
Having finished the term with 15 goals from 33 starts he hopes to take that hot form into a full term.
Thorne said: “It was the games that got me fit and got me scoring again. I just wish I could have started off as fit as I felt during the second half of the season.
“People will expect me to keep scoring goals but that pressure is part and parcel of this game. That’s what I like about football.”
The game kicks off at 7.30pm and not as previously stated.