Nolan blown away by 'incredible' strength and riches of League One

Whilst Birmingham City may not be in the league any more after promotion, clubs have not been shy in splashing the cash this summer. The likes of Luton Town, Huddersfield and Blackpool lead the way but teams new to the division from League Two have also flexed their muscles and it’s set to be another competitive campaign in the third tier.

"The strength of League One is incredible,” said Nolan. “The teams to come up have spent good money and signed good players and I know that because we've been in the market for a few of them.

"It's what we expected and we are where we are as a club. We've always been clear as a club what we are and what we want to do and that's about punching above our weight. We've done that in the last two seasons and we've got to continue to do that.

"I feel like we're building a squad that gives us an opportunity to punch above our weight and I'm excited to go up against these big clubs. You look at Bradford, a massive club, Port Vale as well and Doncaster and Wimbledon, these are all great clubs who are well supported. You can't not to be excited for what we've got coming.

"It's not going to be easy, we know that, but we want to be competitive and we want to be a match for anyone in the league and I believe, on our day, we'll show that.”

Regardless of the challenges his recruitment team have faced this summer, Nolan has been pleased with the work done so far.

"A lot of hard work has gone into building the squad and a lot of work is still going on behind the scenes,” he said. “I can't thank the backroom staff and the owners enough.

"To lose as many as we did and then to sign as many as we have, it's testament to everyone and their hard work. We're not finished, everybody knows that, and talks are still ongoing with players and agents and clubs.”