With just nine days remaining until the Iron squad return for full pre-season training, striker Paddy Madden says the players are all looking sharp and raring to go.
Manager Russ Wilcox arranged a pre-season fitness test on Tuesday morning in order to asses each individual player’s fitness levels ahead of their official return next Thursday.And Madden was impressed with how things went and is now looking forward to getting fully back into the swing of things.
He told The Iron Player: “I found it very good and all the boys looked sharp.
“Russ set us all a target which he didn’t tell any of us and all the boys passed that with flying colours so I think he was happy with us.
“You won’t find many players that like pre-season but it goes with the game and you get that sharpness that you need for the season.
“You do feel a lot better throughout the season so it’s something that we have to deal with and enjoy.
“All the players looked sharp so I’m looking forward to next week now.”
It’s been almost two months since Scunthorpe’s promotion winning League Two season came to an end and a little over six weeks until the club’s third tier campaign will get under way.
Madden admitted that he’s started to miss playing football and now can’t wait for the season to start.
“After you’ve been off for about eight weeks, you start to miss the football,” he continued.
“I started to miss the football after about five weeks really and it makes you more hungry and excited for the season.
“Obviously we’re in League One now and there’s a lot of good fixtures to come so we’re really excited.
“I’m sure there will be lots of fitness work building up into the next few weeks and hopefully we’ll get to see a lot of football as well.
“The pitch is looking great at the moment and you need a good few games in pre-season so I’m looking forward to it now and I can’t wait for the season to start.”
With still a while to wait until United’s 2014-2015 season kicks-off, Madden revealed that the squad are yet to set any concrete targets for the upcoming campaign.
But from a personal point of view, the 24-year-old already has his sights set on double figures and hopes that the fans will see the best of him next season.
He added: “We haven’t quite set any targets yet but with the players that Russ is bringing in at the moment, it can only be a good thing.
“Obviously Neal Bishop is a great player to bring in and I’ve heard a lot about (Jennison) Myrie-Williams as well. He scored 10 goals from the wing so that’s another great signing there.
“Russ has built up a nice squad for League One now and I’m confident that we can do well.
“My aim for the season is to hit double figures and with a good pre-season under my belt, you’ll start to see the best of me.
“I was catching up fitness wise when I first came here so I’m looking forward to a good pre-season and hopefully you’ll start to see the best of me.”
See much more from Paddy Madden, Russ Wilcox, Dave Syers, Sam Slocombe and Andy Dawson on The Iron Player.