Midfielder speaks exclusively to the club website regarding Wanderers' pre-season campaign so far ahead of Thursday's clash with Brondby IF
With Wanderers set to come up against Danish outfit Brondby IF on Thursday evening in their first match of an eight-game pre-season campaign, Neil Danns revealed that the team are ready and raring to go after a number of testing sessions on the training pitch.
Having been based in the Swedish city of Malmo since their arrival on Tuesday afternoon, the players have since been put through their paces by Dougie Freedman and his team ahead of three warm-up games during their nine day stay in Scandinavia.
Danns, a man who has previously experienced numerous pre-season campaigns during his 12 year professional career, admitted that the trip so far has been instrumental in helping the team prepare themselves for their upcoming friendlies and beyond.
“It’s been tough work, but every pre-season is hard,” he exclusively told bwfc.co.uk. “The boys are looking fit and strong and we’ve come to a beautiful place which has been great to train in and get down to the hard work.
“All in all, the boys are really enjoying being out here and it seems like the perfect place to hold pre-season – it is right up there with the toughest ones I've had, but I’m feeling stronger for it and with our game against Brondby on Thursday, we needed this in our system.
“The last thing you want to do is play a team like Brondby and not be ready, but the boys all feel like we are prepared and ready for our first game before building on our fitness from there.”
Having signed permanent terms with the club following two successful loan spells with Wanderers last season, the midfielder again admitted his delight at extending his stay at BL6.
“It’s always nice to get it sorted early because then you can just focus on pre-season, getting fit and thankfully that’s happened for me,” he said. “Everybody knows I enjoyed my time here last season and I’m just absolutely ecstatic to be given the chance to come back.”
One of seven arrivals during the close season alongside Liam Feeney, Liam Trotter, Andy Robinson, Dorian Dervite, Ross Fitzsimons and Dean Moxey, the 31-year-old also reiterated how crucial the club’s pre-season campaign will prove to be in terms of strengthening links within the team both on and off the pitch.
“Pre-season is massively important – if you come to the first game of the season and you’re off the pace, you can be found out.
“It is important to get a good solid pre-season behind you, but it’s also crucial to come through it without any injuries or niggles.”
He continued: “It also gives the new boys time to settle – luckily, the have come in and settled in straight away.
“The likes of Liam Feeney, with him having been here last season, have taken no time at all to settle in and the rest of the lads all seem to be enjoying each other’s company and that just helps with team bonding.”
Watch Neil's full interview by clicking on the video below or HERE to be directed to the club's YouTube channel.