Agile Harvey earns pre-season plaudits (From This Is Wiltshire)

Agile Harvey earns pre-season plaudits

9:22am Thursday 9th July 2009

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Chippenham Town manager Adie Mings says the club’s pre-season has got off to the best possible start and hopes it is a positive sign ahead of the new season.

More than 20 players arrived at Hardenhuish Park for a fitness session on Thursday evening including new signing Ben Thompson and a series of trialists.

The squad are currently training three times a week in an effort to regain any lost fitness and began their pre-season with a 45 minute run in the first session along with a series of stretching exercises.

New signing Ben Highmore is still on holiday and a number of players missed Saturday’s second session to attend the wedding of central defender Steve Casey, but Mings is pleased with the way the squad have looked after themselves over the summer.

“I must say everybody looked in fantastic shape,” he said. “They were outstanding.

“Iain Harvey especially. He was disappointed to miss a lot of football last year and you can tell he’s done a lot of extra work.

“He’s been doing a lot of boxing training and seems to be in the best shape I’ve seen him during the four years he’s been here.”

The first session was sadly marred by an injury to teenage trialist Adam Leighfield, 19, who fractured his leg during the run when he put his foot in a pothole.

He is expected to re-join the squad when his cast is removed in mid-August.

Melksham Town defender Greg Tindle, who appeared for the Bluebirds in the Southern League Cup last year, also attended the session and Mings is hopeful he will be able to feature on a regular basis this season.

“We’ve been monitoring him and he had a fantastic season,” said the manager.

“We’d like to think he can come in and make the step up much like Steve Casey did for us last year.”

One member of the squad who was not at training was long-serving left-back Kevin Halliday and he now seems certain to have played his last game for Chippenham.

The Bluebirds play their first pre-season friendly at Highworth Town next Thursday evening at 7.45pm.

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