Pre-Season begins plus news on Youth Cup draw

Last Sunday saw the Boro players begin their preparations for the season ahead just 6 weeks after winning the FA Trophy Final at Wembley. They couldn’t of planned their return to training at a worse time with it being the hottest week of the year so far. Hardly the best conditions to get your fitness back in?

It’s just a couple of weeks before the first team are back in action when they travel to Chelmsford City in the first game of their pre-season schedule. It’s a tough schedule which contains league sides such as Southend, Brighton and Peterborough as Boro look to hit the ground running come August.

The Comet have done a gallery of the players’ first week back in training at Shephalbury and this can be seen here.

There have also been some interviews with the squad as they report back. Lee Boylan has been talking about filling Steve Morison’s boots which doesn’t seem to add any weight to the ex Cambridge striker’s shoulders. I thought that Boylan last season, when fit, was an asset to the side. He was definately the best strike partner for Steve Morison and although I don’t think the deeper role is his favourite position he did a good job for the side, chipping in with some vital goals at the back end of last season. I think Boylan’s best position is right up top. He is a ‘fox in the box’ type of striker and if he gets the ball in the area, he will score. Westley’s signings will certainly give Boylan a chance to play that role more next season. With the pace of Cole and Odubade on the wings, I expect Boylan to find the net a lot more next season.

Away from the first team and the FA Youth Cup Qualifying rounds have been drawn today. Stevenage have got an away draw to AFC Hornchurch and the winners of that tie will face Royston Town, again away from home. It’s difficult to gage how well Boro will do in this season’s competition considering the club released all their juniors a month ago. I assume a team will come together in the next month or so and trials are ongoing. Youngsters are also being released from professional clubs at the minute, so it’s possible the club could pick up some young talent that way, similarly to how George Boyd joined Stevenage when he was let go by Charlton.