Fleetwood Town v Burnley | Tuesday 23rd July | Pre-Season Friendly by Fleetwood Town Football Club

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Fleetwood Town v Burnley

GAFFER’S NOTES GAF F ER’S NO T ES

GAFFER’S NOTES SPONSORED BY

ood afternoon and welcome to Highbury for today’s Sky Bet League One match with Southend United. I’d like to extend that welcome to Kevin Bond, his staff and players, as well as the directors and supporters who have made the journey up from Southend to today’s game. Myself and Clint Hill know Bondy really well from our time at QPR, and we know that he will have his team well organised for today’s game. Other than today, we wish him and his staff all the best for the remainder of the current campaign. We have dedicated today’s fixture to support the work of Kick It Out in their 25th anniversary season and encourage our supporters to get behind everything they do. For 25 years, Kick It Out has played a vital

role in ensuring that everyone, regardless of background is welcome in our game. This season, we have seen a number of high-profile incidents that prove the sport needs to support their work now more than ever. Their message of equality is extremely important to us at Fleetwood Town and this is why we’re supporting Kick It Out today and encourage you all to report any discrimination you hear or witness at a game. We come into today’s game on the back of two straight victories against Plymouth and Accrington, and two performances I was really pleased with. Especially last Saturday at Accrington, against a team who are fighting for their lives and on a difficult surface, we answered every question defensively and were probably a little unlucky to not win by more goals.

I want to say a big thank you to our outstanding support that we had last Saturday at Accrington. For me, it was our best away support of the season, and the backing that the lads got definitely got the team over the line and three crucial points. The gauntlet has been thrown down for the rest of the season – both at home and away – and if we are to continue winning we need the supporters with us. Enjoy today’s game,

Want the chance to ask your questions to Fleetwood Town Chairman Andy Pilley and head coach Joey Barton? Well make sure you attend our upcoming Fans' Forum!

at Highbury Stadium's Parkside Suite on Thursday 1 August (7pm start) free event exclusive to Onward Card holders with Pilley, Barton and two first team players in attendance TO COLLECT YOUR TICKETS, VISIT THE TICKET OFFICE AT HIGHBURY OR CALL on 01253 775080 2

#ONWARDTOGETHER

Fleetwood Town v Burnley

BARTON GJOEY AFFER’ S FEATURE NOTES

JOEYF BARTON FEATURE GAF ER’S NO T ES

BARTON RELISHING TEST

AGAINST CLARETS WORDS: DAVID MITCHELL

Head coach Joey Barton on his 15-year playing career – including his time at today’s opponents Burnley – and relationship with Sean Dyche.

head of this evening’s pre-season friendly with Premier League side Burnley, David Mitchell sat down with Fleetwood Town manager, Joey Barton, to look back at a particularly happy period in his playing career. Joey Barton’s fifteen year career as a professional footballer has included spells at some of the biggest clubs in football, playing with and against a pantheon of all-time greats. It ended in 2017 with an eighteen month period at a club with more modest riches in monetary terms but one which had a profound effect on him. Burnley can never match the magnitude of the likes of Manchester City and Newcastle United but the club who I started watching in the mid-sixties when they were a force in the land has always attracted the admiration of the footballing world. Some half a century later, between 2015 and 2017, Joey Barton trod the same acreage as club legends such as Jimmy McIlroy, Andy Payton and Graham Alexander had in decades before. Barton loved it when the lights of the town around Turf Moor lit up and the floodlights took full effect, particularly for midweek games. “I loved playing at Turf Moor. When I came back from Rangers in January 2017, my first game took me to Sunderland in the FA Cup, a ground with a few memories when I was at Newcastle United! My first home game was against Southampton.” “I remember coming on to replace Dean Marney. I’d been on the pitch for about five minutes when I scored the only goal in the game with a 25 yard free kick. It took a deflection past Fraser Forster and wasn’t my greatest strike but it was such an important one in the context of my situation. I was delighted to get back amongst it with the Burnley supporters and

be able to reward the faith that Sean Dyche manager had shown in me. He came across at the end and said to me, “I don’t know who writes your scripts!” Much has been said and written about the mutual admiration which Barton and Dyche have for each other. It certainly won’t be a case of long lost friends greeting each other on the Highbury touchline this evening. The two are in constant contact and ‘the gaffer’ was a guest at Barton’s wedding during the summer. Having had lunch made for him by Dyche on their first meeting, Barton was to describe the Burnley manager as ‘the most impressive guy I’ve sat in front of for a long, long time.’ Surely it was more than just the culinary skills which prompted such a reaction? “There was no bull from him. That was one thing that impressed me. I was north of thirty and at that point in my playing career wanted some honest chat. I needed the cards on the table and he gave me just that. We agreed that we should go on this journey together. I honestly think that he over-achieved on things he told me about in his kitchen. “And I think I upheld my side of the bargain as well. It is rare in football that people put into practice exactly what they promise but it happened for me at Burnley.” Barton knew that as soon as he left Dyche’s house that day he was going to play for Burnley. The 2015-16 season cemented his place in the hearts of the Claret faithful. Burnley were promoted to the Premier League as champions, equalling their club record of 93 points from 2013-14. The 33 year-old signing in midfield, on a one-year contract, made thirty-eight league appearances. He was one of four Burnley players to be selected for the PFA

Championship Team of the Year at the end of the season, along with goalkeeper Tom Heaton, defender Michael Keane and striker Andre Gray. “It was great. I went to Turf Moor to win the league. Burnley had got promoted to the Premier League a couple of seasons earlier then came back down again. I thought we had a chance of going back up straight away. It was camaraderie and combined ability that got us through. We had to overhaul Middlesbrough and Brighton to get there. “We came on like a juggernaut, going twenty-three games unbeaten from Christmas. We won the title after a brilliant second half performance at Charlton Athletic but had to hold up an inflatable version of the trophy! “We were top by two points going into the last day but the trophy still went to the Middlesbrough v Brighton game. I had no doubt we would win that afternoon and was proved right.” Anxious to repay the faith that the club had shown in him after a short spell at Rangers, Barton played fourteen Premier League games from January to April 2017 season and helped Burnley avoid relegation for the first time in the Premier League era. “Being with Burnley was one of my very best experiences and, probably, the favourite part of my playing career. I absolutely loved every minute. “There was never a moment when there wasn’t a smile on your face. Yes, there were days when you were driving forward in training and part of a group working hard but it was always very rewarding. I met a great group of people on and off the pitch. “It was amazing what we were prepared to do for each other. Everyone would go beyond their own personal limits for teammates.

"I WENT TO TURF MOOR TO WIN THE LEAGUE. IT WAS THE CAMARADERIE AND COMBINED ABILITY THAT GOT US THROUGH AND TOOK US UP." “That is what team sport should all be about and we had it in abundance at Burnley. I had some great spells in my career but the eighteen months at Turf Moor are right up there with those at the big clubs.” Dyche was to describe Barton as ‘top drawer as a player round the group.’ “When I turned up in the first place I was taken aback by the training ground when compared to the likes of Marseilles and Newcastle United. However, during my two spells at the club I was there to see the old go out and the new come in.” Barnfield Training Centre, a new £10.6 million pound facility, was opened at Gawthorpe in March 2017. “Everything that Sean Dyche had worked incredibly hard to achieve came to fruition. When I came back from Rangers they were settled in the new training facility. You could see the progress and development in a short space of time. That’s what time spent in the Premier League can give you. Sean Dyche will eventually leave a legacy similar to some of the great managers of the game. It is no exaggeration to say that he is Burnley’s equivalent of Sir Alex Ferguson. There has been tremendous success under him and finishing seventh in 2017-18 was a magnificent achievement for a club of their size.” Twelve hundred Burnley fans are expected at Highbury this evening and Barton is assured of a lot of love coming from the Percy Ronson End of the ground. “There are many times when you want to go back to play clubs in your affections, either home

or away. They are fans who I will always share a bond with. It is always nice to spend time with people who appreciate you and what you have done for them. I like to think they appreciate what I did in the claret and blue shirt. “When I run into them they always tell me that! Yes, you want to win games but it is also about rewarding people who spend their hardearned cash to watch you when ability-wise they will never have a chance to pull the shirt on themselves. I love seeing people with a smile on their faces at half past five on a Saturday evening when you’ve got the points in the bag!” Sean Dyche’s opinion was sought when Barton received a call from Fleetwood Town’s chairman, Andy Pilley. “I was at a bit of a crossroads at the time and liaising with a number of people including Sean. My focus was getting back to the playing level I finished on before my ban from the game in April 2017. I honestly thought it was do-able and had kept in decent shape. “Then I got a call from the Fleetwood chairman which potentially changed everything. I rang Sean, knowing that he would give me an honest opinion, but didn’t expect what he said. He just thought that I had been presented with a great opportunity and that I was definitely ready for it. He said he would call back after doing some homework. His input certainly helped me make my decision about coming to Fleetwood. “He was very encouraging and told me that I definitely had the skill set. I was in a lovely spot at the time, faced with the option of playing or

managing. I have had no regrets about the choice that I made. “We speak all the time. I was hoping to use Sean a lot at the beginning of my first season as a manager but Burnley had a tough start and I think the roles ended up being reversed! I respect Sean hugely as a manager but he is also a friend. The same goes for a number of others at Burnley and I’m looking forward to seeing some familiar faces tonight. They are friends for life.” Burnley, followed by Preston North End on Friday, make for two tasty home games to finish Fleetwood’s pre-season. They are the first at Highbury for two years as last season’s were away in the wake of the Alfie Boe concert. With familiar faces back in the squad, the anticipation is once again ramped up ahead of the season opener at Peterborough United on Saturday, 3rd August. “We definitely have two good tests coming up this week,” Barton told me. “This evening’s game gives us an important marker post against Premier League opposition and I am grateful to Burnley for that. Last year it was an inherited pre-season, this time we have been able to establish our own. Burnley and Preston will give us the necessary challenge at the head of the season. “Peterborough away will be a tough start and we want to be ready, having taken the rough edges out of the summer. It’s important to get the lads through fit and healthy. “I’d take losing every pre-season to get three points on day one. Last season we battered everyone only to lose 1-0 at home to AFC Wimbledon!”

Fleetwood Fleetwood Town Town vv Burnley Burnley

MANAGER - SEAN DYCHE JOINED IN2012

DANGER MAN - ASHLEY BARNES SCORED 12 PL GOALS LAST SEASON

CLARETS BURNLEY FOOTBALL CLUB | FORMED: 1882 | GROUND: TURF MOOR (21,944) CHAIRMAN: MIKE GARLICK | 2018/19 PREMIER LEAGUE POSITION: 15TH 6

FleetwoodTown Townv vBurnley Burnley Fleetwood

GFIXTURES AFFER’& SRESULTS NOTES Date

Results

Comp.

Opposition

KEY: GAMES HOME (BOLD) & AWAY (LIGHT) GOALSCORER 1 BOOKED

Att.

RED CARD

SUBSTITUTE ON/OFF

FIXTURES RESULTS GAF F ER’S& NO T ES

FIRST SUB SECOND SUB THIRD SUB

Starting XI

SKY BET LEAGUE ONE TABLE 2019/20

Substitutes Used

AUGUST

get the fleetwood town app today! P

+/-

Pts

SAT 3

PETERBOROUGH UNITED (A)

ACCRINGTON STANLEY

SAT 10

AFC WIMBLEDON (H)

AFC WIMBLEDON

TUE 13

CC R1

NOTTINGHAM FOREST (A)

BLACKPOOL

SAT 17

DONCASTER ROVERS (A)

BOLTON WANDERERS

TUE 20

WYCOMBE WANDERERS (H)

BRISTOL ROVERS

SAT 24

ACCRINGTON STANLEY (H)

BURTON ALBION

SAT 31

LINCOLN CITY (A)

BURY

COVENTRY CITY

CAIRNS

SOUTHAM-HALES

EASTHAM

MORGAN

ANDREW

BURNS

DEMPSEY

R.WALLACE

MORRIS

MADDEN

McALENY

HUNTER

SEPTEMBER

BIGGINS

SHERON

TUE 3

ACCRINGTON STANLEY (A)

DONCASTER ROVERS

SAT 7

OXFORD UNITED (H)

FLEETWOOD TOWN

GILLINGHAM

IPSWICH TOWN

SAT 14

SOUTHEND UNITED (A)

TUE 17

BURY (H)

SAT 21

ROCHDALE (H)

SAT 28

SHREWSBURY TOWN (A)

OCTOBER SAT 5

IPSWICH TOWN (H)

SAT 12

SUNDERLAND (A)

SAT 19

BURTON ALBION (H)

WED 23

COVENTRY CITY (A)

SAT 26

MILTON KEYNES DONS (H)

NOVEMBER SAT 2

BOLTON WANDERERS (A)

TUE 12

OLDHAM ATHLETIC (H)

SAT 16

PORTSMOUTH (A)

SAT 23

TRANMERE ROVERS (H)

DECEMBER SAT 7

BLACKPOOL (A)

SAT 14

GILLINGHAM (H)

SAT 21

ROTHERHAM UNITED (A)

THU 26 SUN 29

L1 L1

ROCHDALE (A) BRISTOL ROVERS (H)

JANUARY WED 1

SUNDERLAND (H)

SAT 4

IPSWICH TOWN (A)

SAT 11

BURTON ALBION (A)

SAT 18

SHREWSBURY TOWN (H)

SAT 25

BRISTOL ROVERS (A)

TUE 28

COVENTRY CITY (H)

FEBRUARY

10% OFF IN CLUB SHOP WITH THIS VOUCHER

LINCOLN CITY

MILTON KEYNES DONS

OXFORD UNITED

PETERBOROUGH UNITED

PORTSMOUTH

ROCHDALE

ROTHERHAM UNITED

SHREWSBURY TOWN

SOUTHEND UNITED

SUNDERLAND

TRANMERE ROVERS

WYCOMBE WANDERERS

FLEETWOOD TOWN APPEARANCES & GOALSCORERS Total Apps (All Comps)

Total Goals (All Comps)

CAIRNS, ALEX

2019/20 Apps 2019/20 Goals (All Comps) (All Comps)

0 (0)

130 (1)

COYLE, LEWIE

0 (0)

91 (2)

ANDREW, DANNY

0 (0)

15 (3)

EASTHAM, ASHLEY

0 (0)

142 (4)

SOUTTAR, HARRY

0 (0)

11 (0)

BURNS, WESLEY

0 (0)

72 (36)

DEMPSEY, KYLE

0 (0)

101 (15)

McALENY, CONOR

0 (0)

28 (25)

MORRIS, JOSH

0 (0)

59 (5)

SOUTHAM-HALES, MACAULEY

0 (0)

0 (1)

COUTTS, PAUL

0 (0)

ROSSITER, JORDAN

0 (0)

MADDEN, PADDY

0 (0)

59 (10)

SAT 1

DONCASTER ROVERS (H)

JONES, GETHIN

0 (0)

SAT 8

AFC WIMBLEDON (A)

MORGAN, CRAIG

0 (0)

24 (2)

TUE 11

WYCOMBE WANDERERS (A)

HUNTER, ASHLEY

0 (0)

105 (92)

SAT 15

PETERBOROUGH UNITED (H)

MARNEY, DEAN

0 (0)

17 (2)

SAT 22

PORTSMOUTH (H)

BIGGINS, HARRISON

0 (0)

17 (24)

SAT 29

TRANMERE ROVERS (A)

SOWERBY, JACK

0 (0)

43 (23)

MARCH

SHERON, NATHAN

0 (0)

26 (10)

BAGGLEY, BARRY

0 (0)

0 (3)

17 (2)

SAT 7

BLACKPOOL (H)

SAT 14

GILLINGHAM (A)

CRELLIN, BILLY

0 (0)

1 (0)

SAT 21

ROTHERHAM UNITED (H)

HILL, JAMES

0 (0)

1 (2)

SAT 28

BOLTON WANDERERS (H)

GARNER, GED

0 (0)

2 (2)

RYDEL, RYAN

0 (0)

3 (3)

APRIL SAT 4

MILTON KEYNES DONS (A)

FRI 10

ACCRINGTON STANLEY (A)

MON 13

LINCOLN CITY (H)

SAT 18

OXFORD UNITED (A)

SAT 25

SOUTHEND UNITED (H)

LAST RESULT

1-3

MAY SUN 3

BURY (A)

IFOLLOW TODAY!

PRE-SEASON FRIENDLY SATURDAY 20TH JULY 2019 BRUNTON PARK GOALS: JACK BRIDGE (10’); PADDY MADDEN (40’ (P), 69’), HARRISON BIGGINS (58’)

Fleetwood Fleetwood Town Town vv Burnley Burnley

CORPORATE

CORPORATECODS Contact the Commercial Team! - Call: 01253 775080 option 2 - Email: commercial@fleetwoodtownfc.com

JOE FLEETWOOD HEAD OF COMMERCIAL

HOSPITALITY GRADING FOR 2019/20 SEASON Date

Football has finally returned home to Highbury and on behalf of the commercial team it is my pleasure to welcome you to tonight’s game against Premier League side Burnley. As some of you will be aware I recently joined Fleetwood Town as Head of Commercial and tonight’s game is my first at the commercial helm. I look forward to welcoming you all throughout the season and celebrating some incredible achievements with you at the end. Please enjoy the game, enjoy the new catering and let’s get right behind the team! Ball sponsorship for our opening game of the season is still available for £850 + VAT, call me on 07854 846820 to take advantage of this fantastic offer. The package comes with a hospitality table of ten plus the usual promotional benefits and match day mementos. First team players are available for business player sponsorship from just £500 + VAT. Contact me directly for player details and package benefits.

MATCH Sponsor CARD SAVER Tonight’s Match Sponsor is Card Saver, the cashless solution at the forefront of the payment industry. Fan Pay powered by Card Saver, is an exciting boost that will allow supporters to pay for the cost of their season ticket in ten monthly instalments at no extra cost. Card Saver has been supplying card machines to businesses both locally and across the UK since 2015 and has always been at the forefront of payment industry technology; offering contactless, Apple Pay & Android Pay as standard on all card terminals. Ross Chapman, Business Development Director at Card Saver added: “We are delighted to be working with Fleetwood Town to offer Fan Pay as a solution for their supporters.” Visit their website, www.card-saver.co.uk for further information.

BALL SPONSOR PINPOINT MEDIA Tonight’s Ball Sponsor is PinPoint Media, the one-stop shop for mobile and commercial advertising. PinPoint Media offers a unique marketing platform for all businesses with the use of the DigiVehicle. The DigiVehicle is a mobile advertising platform, featuring a 36ft outdoor LED screen. The LED screen is fitted to a 10ft Hydraulic arm, the arm has the ability to raise and rotate to ensure your advertisement can captivate your target audience at all outdoor events/venues. Sport clubs have already taken advantage of this to enhance event or match day experience. Many utilising the screen as a scoreboard, clock or for goal alerts and highlights. PinPoint Media is also working with commercial businesses who have a public reach to deliver their very own TV channel - both offerings give local businesses the opportunity to captivate their target audience with advertising through these streams. 10

Competition

Opposition

Grade

AUGUST 2019 SAT 10

SKY BET LEAGUE ONE

AFC WIMBLEDON

TUE 20

SKY BET LEAGUE ONE

WYCOMBE WANDERERS

B C

SAT 24

SKY BET LEAGUE ONE

ACCRINGTON STANLEY

SEPTEMBER 2019 SAT 07

SKY BET LEAGUE ONE

OXFORD UNITED

TUE 17

SKY BET LEAGUE ONE

BURY

SAT 21

SKY BET LEAGUE ONE

ROCHDALE

OCTOBER 2019 SAT 05

SKY BET LEAGUE ONE

IPSWICH TOWN

SAT 19

SKY BET LEAGUE ONE

BURTON ALBION

SAT 26

SKY BET LEAGUE ONE

MILTON KEYNES DONS

TRANMERE ROVERS

NOVEMBER 2019 SAT 23

SKY BET LEAGUE ONE

DECEMBER 2019 SAT 14

SKY BET LEAGUE ONE

GILLINGHAM

SUN 29

SKY BET LEAGUE ONE

BRISTOL ROVERS

JANUARY 2020 WED 01

SKY BET LEAGUE ONE

SUNDERLAND

SAT 18

SKY BET LEAGUE ONE

SHREWSBURY TOWN

TUE 28

SKY BET LEAGUE ONE

COVENTRY CITY

FEBRUARY 2020 SAT 01

SKY BET LEAGUE ONE

DONCASTER ROVERS

SAT 15

SKY BET LEAGUE ONE

PETERBOROUGH UNITED

SAT 22

SKY BET LEAGUE ONE

PORTSMOUTH

MARCH 2020 SAT 07

SKY BET LEAGUE ONE

BLACKPOOL

SAT 21

SKY BET LEAGUE ONE

ROTHERHAM UNITED

SAT 28

SKY BET LEAGUE ONE

BOLTON WANDERERS

APRIL 2020 MON 13

SKY BET LEAGUE ONE

LINCOLN CITY

SAT 25

SKY BET LEAGUE ONE

SOUTHEND UNITED

FOR ANY INFORMATION ON THIS SEASON’S HOSPITALITY AT HIGHBURY STADIUM, CONTACT OUR COMMERCIAL MANAGER, JOE FLEETW0OD, BY EITHER RINGING 01253 775080 (OPTION 2) OR EMAILING JOE.FLEETWOOD@FLEETWOODTOWNFC.COM

Fleetwood Town v Burnley

ACADEMY

FLEETWOOD TOWN UNDER-18S YOUTH ALLIANCE FIXTURES 2019/20 DATE

K/O

H/A

OPPONENTS

RES

AUGUST 2019 SAT 17 10:30AM

BURY

SAT 24

MANSFIELD TOWN (CUP GROUP G1)

SAT 31 10:30AM SEPTEMBER 2019 SAT 07 11:00AM

ROCHDALE

TRANMERE ROVERS

SAT 21

10:30AM

PRESTON NORTH END

SAT 28 11:00AM OCTOBER 2019 SAT 05 TBA

SHREWSBURY TOWN

CARLISLE UNITED (CUP GROUP G2)

SAT 12

10:30AM

CARLISLE UNITED

SAT 19

TBA

10:30AM

SALFORD CITY

SAT 26 10:30AM NOVEMBER 2019 SAT 02 10:30AM

ROTHERHAM UNITED (CUP GROUP G3)

OLDHAM ATHLETIC

SAT 09

TBA

DONCASTER ROVERS (CUP GROUP G4)

SAT 16

10:30AM

ACCRINGTON STANLEY

SAT 23

10:30AM

BLACKPOOL

SAT 30 11:00AM DECEMBER 2019 SAT 14 10:30AM JANUARY 2020 SAT 04 11:00AM

MORECAMBE

TRANMERE ROVERS

ROCHDALE

SAT 11

10:30AM

WALSALL

SAT 18

11:00AM

SHREWSBURY TOWN

SAT 25 10:30AM FEBRUARY 2020

PRESTON NORTH END

SAT 08

11:00AM

PORT VALE

SAT 15

10:30AM

SALFORD CITY

SAT 22 10:30AM MARCH 2020 SAT 07 11:00AM

CARLISLE UNITED

ACCRINGTON STANLEY

SAT 14

10:30AM

OLDHAM ATHLETIC

SAT 21 10:30AM APRIL 2020 SAT 04 10:30AM

MORECAMBE

BLACKPOOL

SAT 18

12:00AM

PORT VALE

SAT 25 12:00AM MAY 2020 SAT 02 11:00AM

WALSALL

* EFL Youth Alliance Cup fixtures

BURY

** FA Youth Cup Fixtures

(All K/O times could change)

FLEETWOOD TOWN UNDER-18S YOUTH ALLIANCE LEAGUE TABLE 2019/20 TEAM

GD PTS

ACCRINGTON STANLEY

PLD W 0

BLACKPOOL

BURY

CARLISLE UNITED

FLEETWOOD TOWN

MORECAMBE

OLDHAM ATHLETIC

PORT VALE

PRESTON NORTH END

10 ROCHDALE

11 SALFORD CITY

12 SHREWSBURY TOWN

13 TRANMERE ROVERS

14 WALSALL

WITH CIARAN DONNELLY ACADEMY MANAGER

This will be my third season as the academy manager here at Fleetwood Town, and it is the season I’m looking forward to the most. Things look promising at first team level which is always great and we have a group of staff at this club that we have taken some time in putting together, that I now think will be with us for a long time – which for me is great in terms of stability. People talk about being together, but we really are a close knit group and we are all so enthusiastic about establishing Fleetwood as one of the top youth developing clubs in the country. There is lots of work still to do but I am confident in this team of people and there is nothing but exciting times ahead for the academy which in turn will benefit the first team for years to come. The Under 18s are very lucky to be given the chance this year through the Erasmus European funding to go on a pre-season tour to Madrid. We have a bright group of players this year who we are sure will take the opportunity in their stride. We have some first class games to prepare for whilst we are there. We will play Getafe and Rayo Vallecano before finishing the tour with a showcase game against Atletico Madrid.

It is a fantastic opportunity for our players and being away for the best part of two weeks will give the staff a real insight into the players. Keeping on the Under 18s, we have ten new scholars and these range from players who have been with the academy for a number of years, others that have been released by other clubs and also from abroad. They are all settling into full-time training really well and we are confident we have a good mix of characters that will excel in the football environment. With Stephen Crainey now taking the Under 23s, we are now entering into the Central League which will put us in a position to offer a stronger pathway for players making the transition from academy football to first team. A number of players have progressed through the Under 18s and with the attention now going to be placed on these players, it is very promising what lays ahead for the young players at the football club.