Cobblers players facing early return for pre-season training

The Cobblers players will be back in for pre-season training in just two weeks' time.
Cobblers boss Justin EdinburghCobblers boss Justin Edinburgh
Cobblers boss Justin Edinburgh

Town manager Justin Edinburgh has confirmed that the squad returns for testing on Friday, June 23, with pre-season proper getting underway the following week.

It means the players will have a full six weeks together before they play their Sky Bet League One opener on Saturday, August 5, and Edinburgh admits it is an early start.

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“It is early, it gets earlier every year,” said the Cobblers boss.

“The players have to make the most of their rest, but the time does seem to get shorter, but with the season starting in the first week of August it will be upon us before we know it.

“I am looking forward to it though, because I think it is going to be an exciting season.”

Edinburgh is an experienced manager with plenty of pre-seasons under his belt, but it will be his first as the Cobblers boss, and he can’t wait to get cracking, saying; “I do enjoy it, and you get to play games without any pressure!

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“You do a lot of thinking, planning and preparation through the close season, and pre-seasaon is when you want to go and implement those ideas and get them across to the players.

“You hope they will pick it up quickly so things can take shape and you can get the season off to a good start, that’s what the plan is.”

A key part of the Cobblers’ pre-season is going to be the trip to Spain, which takes place from July 9 to July 15, and Edinburgh believes it will give the players a great chance to get to know each other.

“We are looking forward to that trip, and I think it is a real valuable asset to a squad that is going to have a lot of new faces in it,” said the Cobblers boss.

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“It allows us to really get the squad together, and live in each other’s pockets for a period of time, and I think there is a real importance to that.

“It gives us the chance to go away and have no distractions as we put in the hard work that we need to, to put us in shape and be ready for the start of the season.”