Director John Coyne with all the latest from The J.Davidson Stadium, as preparations continue at pace towards Saturday, August 8th and Enterprise National League Opening Day against Southend United.

Pre-season Progress

The players have now been back in for over two weeks and, as expected, the hard work has well and truly begun. 

Pre-season is always about building the right foundations for the season ahead. While there is naturally a strong emphasis on fitness, there is just as much focus on managing each player’s workload. Every player is at a different stage physically, so programmes are tailored to the individual rather than taking a one size fits all approach.

Pre-season Fixtures

Saturday provided an excellent first run out for the squad, with almost every player getting 45 minutes as we continue to build match fitness in a controlled way.

It will be a similar approach at Wythenshawe Town this evening as we look to spread the minutes across the group and gradually increase the physical demands over the coming weeks.

Looking ahead to the weekend, there still appears to be little sign of the temperatures easing, but we will be taking a squad to Vauxhall Motors for another valuable fixture that should also provide supporters with an easy away trip.

Alongside the remaining announced fixtures at Chorley, Macclesfield and at home to Manchester United Under 21s, we will also face an EFL side behind closed doors on Tuesday 28th July. We are just working with our opponents to coordinate a joint announcement before confirming the details.

Recruitment

Behind the scenes, Neil and Lee continue to work diligently on our recruitment plans.

There are still a couple of areas where we would like to add further strength, but with the majority of the squad already signed and in the building before the start of pre season, there is no need to rush.

As is often the case at this stage of the summer, opportunities begin to present themselves once other clubs move further through their own pre-season programmes, and we remain well placed to act when the right players become available. We also continue to benefit from some excellent relationships with our partner clubs, which will prove invaluable as we assess the market and plan ahead.

Alongside that, we are working on finding the right loan opportunities for some of our own players, ensuring they gain valuable minutes and experience in environments that will benefit both their development and the football club.

National League Cup

As has been announced elsewhere across the division over the last week, I can confirm that we will not be taking part in the National League Cup this season.

While the competition generated a good amount of revenue during 2024/25, it inevitably places additional demands on clubs operating with smaller squads. There is also the cumulative impact on the playing surface at The J. Davidson Stadium across an already demanding season.

I believe we made the right decision 12 months ago not to re-enter the competition, and after careful consideration we have reached the same conclusion again this summer.

Thank You

Finally, thank you to everyone who has purchased the new away kit.