While the 2009-10 campaign is still very much alive for England players as they prepare to face Germany on Sunday, Bradford Park Avenue are already gearing up for the new season with the start of training tomorrow.

It seems the Bradford club’s promotion play-off defeat last May was just a blink of an eye away as Avenue’s new boss Simon Collins aims to hit the ground running with an early start to pre-season.

He said: “We begin at 10am tomorrow morning. It’s early but that will give the players time to spend the rest of the day with their families and also keep them out of the worst of the heat.

“We will ease them back into it a bit because we don’t want to flog them to death right from the off. But our first friendly against Durham City at Horsfall Stadium is a fortnight today so things are moving at a pace.

“Some players come back in good shape but some let themselves go a bit with five or six weeks off. Getting them in today and starting the pre-season early will give us chance to assess the state the lads are in.

“It is important that they are fit and raring to go when the league games begin. In the pre-season friendlies, you want to see performances and lads showing their fitness and how they can adapt to various formations. Results don’t matter as much as every player knowing what is expected of them.”

Avenue have announced a list of nine warm-up games, five of which are at Horsfall Stadium. But the one everyone is looking forward to most is the Bradford derby at Valley Parade.

The clash with their Football League neighbours (on Tuesday, August 3) was scheduled to be their last but Avenue have since sneaked in another two before the season starts for real on August 14.

Collins added: “The game will be a great one for our players to show they can perform at a big venue and a great one for our fans. It is very good of City to make it a big part of their pre-season. It will be their last game before the season starts.

“That City are willing to stage it at their place is the cherry on the top of the cake for us really.

“It will be a big privilege for our lads to play at a big stadium like that and experience the dressing rooms and facilities.”

“The pitch will be first class as well, it has always been a very good surface but I understand there has been a lot of work done on it over the summer. We feel honoured that we will be one of the first ‘visiting’ teams to play on it.”