Skubala raring for pre-season

Skubala smiles on camera at the LNER Stadium.

City's head coach Michael Skubala is looking forward to getting back on the grass as City return for pre-season testing on Friday.

The first-team squad will go through the annual pre-season checks at the Soper of Lincoln Elite Performance Centre on Friday before hitting the grass as preparations begin for the 2024/25 season.

Skubala said: “It’s what we live for as coaches to be on the grass and be working with the players. I love forming a new group and seeing the old lads - it’ll be a new dynamic with new players in the building.

“They come in Friday for testing, we’ve been monitoring them and giving them programmes, and then Monday we’ll be back at it on the grass.”

Skubala also highlighted the importance of fitness ahead of pre-season training, and believes it’ll be a crucial part to the success of his side throughout the campaign.

He said: “We need to push the lads for the mentality, there’s no doubt we need a fit team. We need to be the fittest team we can be because that's how we play.

“We’ll have to push the lads hard in pre-season, it looks a little different to what it used to be because we don’t want to pick up injuries, but there’s still the element of football and making sure they’re fit and ready to go.”

City head to Spain for the second week of pre-season training, and take on Sky Bet Championship side Preston North End as part of the preparations.

He added: “We’ll be able to do some really good work in an isolated environment where we can get some more learning into the lads. It’s hotter and it’s harder so we can push them - we also have a good pre-season game out there so I can see the whole group that travels.

“Ultimately, it’s part of team bonding and the leadership group will be able to bring the new guys on, which will be a boost going into the next stages of pre-season.”

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