As the Saddlers near their first pre-season fixture, Jon Whitney's side will be heading to the Lake District for a three-day boot camp. The squad, which will include new recruits Mark Gillespie, Luke Leahy, Nicky Devlin and Jon Guthrie, will take part in hill running, obstacle courses, mountain biking and a host of other fitness challenges.
Ahead of their trip, Manager Jon Whitney has spoken to the local press and insisted that the visit to Cumbria is a massive part of their pre-season preparations as it gives the squad a chance to bond whilst taking them out of their comfort zone.
The gaffer, who was speaking via the Express & Star, said; "I was really keen to make sure we do it this year – so I pencilled us in quite early. For me it takes the players out of their comfort zone. It’s a little bit old-school but it’s very scientific as well.
"We’ll test the players physically and psychologically, which is the important bit, and we’ll be able to get a profile of each player as well. For me it’ll show us who has those leadership qualities going into the new season. It involves tough, tough challenges - but it’s fun. At the end of it it really gels you together as a group and sets you up for the season ahead."
The manager then went on to insist that, while keen to work on fitness levels, the main purpose of the trip is to allow the players to get to know each other, he said; "The important thing is for us to realise that when it gets tough – we do things as a team. There will be times when some will be struggling but your teammates can help you through it, and that’s key.
"It is individual-based but for me it’s getting that team collective - knowing that working together, you’ll achieve more than working on your own. That’s the key message we’re trying to send.
“The mantra where we are staying is ‘push the limits’ which is similar to us. We want to push the limits both within the weekend and this season."