Pre-season games tough by design, says Warrington Town boss

THE hard work is underway as Warrington Town prepare for the new National League North season.

And preparations are about to step up a gear, with the team about to embark upon their programme of pre-season friendly matches.

Town will play eight matches during the next four weeks before the competitive action gets underway on August 10, starting with a trip to Nantwich Town on Tuesday, July 9.

Other away friendlies will be against Macclesfield (July 16), Ashton United (July 26) and Bamber Bridge (August 3) while their home quartet will all be against higher-ranked sides.

They will be visited by EFL League Two side Salford City on July 24 while National League trio Rochdale (July 13), Altrincham (July 20) and Oldham Athletic (July 30) will also face them at Cantilever Park.

“We’ve got some cracking games, and we’ve done that deliberately because every game is going to be difficult,” manager Mark Beesley said.

“The teams we’re playing from lower levels will be pushing to get promoted, and the ones from above are really good clubs.

“It will give us an insight into what’s coming.”

The Town squad regathered for pre-season training last week and Beesley says the condition in which they have returned means they can get straight on with the important business of embedding a style of play.

“You always enjoy going back and seeing the lads. We’re refreshed and ready to go again,” he said.

“We’ve found pre-season to be really important – this will be our third one in charge – and the lads have looked after themselves through the off-season programme they’ve been given.

“It means they can come back and go straight into football.

“Don’t get me wrong, it will still be tough but it will be football-based in terms of how we want to play and do things.

“We’ll get through the first couple of sessions then we’ll get into the things we want to work on. It’s a case of progressing as the weeks go by.”

The new Yellows home and away kits - the first of their new partnership with US manufacturers Capelli Sports - will be revealed on Saturday at a free public event at Gravity Social in Time Square.