Tommy Wright has stressed how important Kilmarnock's pre-season trip to Northern Ireland will be – and has thanked the board for allowing it to go ahead.
The Rugby Park gaffer took his squad across the Irish Sea as they gear up for the new season.
And he has heaped praise on the Killie directors for finding the funds for their trip despite being relegated.
The gaffer told Killie TV: “Getting away is important for the team due to most of them being new here.
“It would have been quite easy for the club after being relegated to put a stop on that trip in terms of finances.
“But the board didn’t, they know the importance of going away.”
He added: “Pre-season has been good, at first it was about checking fitness levels.
“That went well, all of them have came back in really good condition, so that makes our job a little easier.
“The first week was all about fitness, but to be honest most of the fitness work these days is with a ball.
“They are starting to get to know each other, heading into the Linfield game we will have worked more on 11v11 stuff as a well as the shape of the team.”
Killie will take on Linfield and Larne who are preparing for European football, and Wright reckons that’s important as the matches will be a competitive test.
He said: “It’s difficult to get games at this time of the season, but the two teams we are playing will be getting ready for European games so they will be at a good level of fitness.
“But on top of that, getting the group together and basically living together for a week helps with the bonding side of things.”
Wright admits he’s still on the hunt for a talisman to replace Kyle Lafferty.
But he won’t rush to get anyone in the door, insisting patience is key to getting the right man ahead of the club's Championship campaign.
He’s also looking to add another goalkeeper.
He said: “We added Zach Hemming to the squad in terms of a goalkeeper, but we have Jack Hamilton training too.
“There is still a position to be filled there, we have Colin Doyle as a player/coach but we really want two goalkeepers fighting for the No 1 jersey.
“We also want a striker, but that’s the hardest one, it’s the hardest for all the managers.
“But there is plenty of time, we’ve had to move quickly for the rest of the squad due to the amount of players needed.
“I know fans might be impatient when it comes to bringing a striker in, but I think the club has to be applauded for the amount of work done already.
“There has been a lot of hard work in a short space of time, it’s a good squad and we just need a couple more positions to make it an even better one.”
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