United's players were sent away on their holidays in May with a chorus of well done's ringing in their ears, more than a few recommendations to relax still echoing round the ether as they started their car engines ... and an exercise sheet from team manager Paul Simpson.

He explained, "it was a sheet that had a list of general exercises that I want the lads to be doing whilst they are away.  It is designed to maintain a certain level of fitness so they all got the same package.  There were a few players who were given extra weights packages to do as we look to build them up a bit more but, as I say, they are all doing the same things."

So, it appears that our visions of suntanned footballers lounging around on a beach with a huge ice cream dripping down their chins couldn't be further from the truth.  Paul said, "they have all been given 1 hours worth of cardio-vascular work to do each day for the first week which gradually built up in to work on the body as well."  He added, "it would eventually progress so that they would be doing the one hour cardio, body work, weights and general fitness.  We started them at 40% of their maximum that they could produce and then that will go up to 60% to get a bit more sweat and toil out of them."

"As far as pre-season training is concerned," he told us, "it means we can get straight back and start some serious work.  We won't have be going for really long runs to build up a basic level again, and we can get straight to business.  The furthest they will run is over 200 metres, which is very demanding if the sessions are done right, because I won't be telling them how many times they'll cover that 200 metres, let's put it that way."

"It's important," he went on to say, "because it gives them the starting point for us to push them through their paces with ball work.  We can be doing 4 versus 1 in the ten by ten squares, which is really good for testing fitness, and it means they can be doing work with the ball almost immediately."

Also awaiting the return of the players is the newly refurbished gymnasium.  Simmo said, "it's looking superb at the moment.  All of the equipment is starting to arrive, we have new machines installed, and the surface is superb.  We've got spinning classes booked and we also have Geoff Haugh coming in to do the weights aerobics circuits that he has a talent for.  The floor that has been laid is actually a proper weights floor, so it doesn't stress the joints so much when you are doing these exercises.  I'm really pleased with it all, and it's a facility I'm sure the lads will see lots of in the coming weeks."