Brian McGinty insists his Irvine Meadow squad have kept themselves in tip-top shape over the six-week summer break.
The Medda manager oversaw the return to training last week as his players were put through stringent fitness tests.
And he reckons they’re in better shape than they were at this stage last season – despite having a longer hiatus from football.
He said: “Everyone looked fully fit and the boys trained well all week.
“At this stage it’s all about getting miles in the legs so we had the boys down the athletics track at St Michael’s Academy in Saltcoats.
“I think I enjoyed watching them more then they enjoyed taking part but to be fair to them they were knocking five and 10 seconds off their times from last year.
“We’re a good bit ahead of where we were in that regard and that’s very pleasing. I’ve always said that pre-season isn’t about getting fit, it’s about getting fitter, and the boys seem to have taken that on board.”
McGinty was particularly pleased to see players who missed parts of the end of last season through injury come through the sessions unscathed.
Now he’s hoping to see a competitive edge as players try to earn a place in his plans for the start of the season.
He added: “The ones who show me they’re ready to go will be the ones who will get a jersey when the pre-season friendlies start. The players are a great bunch and they know that.
“We’ve another six or seven sessions before the games start so there’s plenty of time to impress.”
One player who is highly unlikely to feature however is Graham Boyd after the striker suffered another set-back in his recovery from injury.
Boyd is McGinty’s only injury concern however and he’s ready to go with the squad he has - despite the transfer window just opening on Monday.
He added: “We had a look at a couple of wide men but nothing came of it. I’m very happy with what I have.”
