29-year-old midfielder Paul Thirlwell has been handed the captain's armband and will lead the team for the second consecutive campaign as John Ward begins to mould things in to shape ahead of the new League One season.

The former Sunderland and Derby holding player, who initially joined the club on-loan in September 2006, quickly established himself as a key member of the squad, despite suffering from a prolonged and frustrating injury last season.

Meanwhile 23-year-old central defender Danny Livesey, who stood in as skipper for much of the last campaign, will act as his vice-captain.

Manager John Ward said: "They are two extremely well respected members of the dressing room, and that is important when making a decision like this. Obviously I saw Danny in action in this role last year, and I was very happy with how he handled himself, and I also watched Paul give him a massive amount of support in the dressing room and on the training ground. The rest of the squad listen whenever they speak, so it's been an easy decision to make."

"I've now also seen Paul Thirlwell play," he added, "and he has come back in really good form. I didn't get to see too much of that last season, but he has been very involved in pre-season, and he looks comfortable with it all. He's a very influential individual so, for me, both him and Danny are very important people. Both of them are happy with the decision, and all I've said to them is that I want them to be very responsible in everything they do. They'll carry on exactly as they have been, and work as a partnership, and together they will look after the dressing room and off-field side of things for me."

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