Mick McCarthy ready for workout

Jul 11 2008 By Brian Halford

A TRUE game of two halves awaits spectators at Wrexham tomorrow when Wolves open their pre-season schedule at the Racecourse Ground.

Wolves will field a different team in each half as manager Mick McCarthy gives most of his senior squad a chance to stretch their legs in earnest for the first time after the summer break.

It will be a gentle work-out for McCarthy's men against a club still coming to terms with existence outside the Football League for the first time since 1921.

Under former Villa and Albion boss Brian Little, the Robins succumbed to relegation from League Two last May.

But McCarthy will be looking for early clues as to which of his players is ready to hit the ground running next month.

And he is already delighted with the fitness-levels of his players who looked after themselves, as instructed by fitness coach Tony Daley, as well as resting up during the summer break.

"They are all looking remarkably fit which is very good," McCarthy said.

"Tony has been excellent in setting them programmes in terms of fitness, strength and conditioning over the summer.

"And they've all adhered to them as they know they have to because they can't come back and be behind anybody. They're all in great shape.

"They have been going for tests at the university and with those procedures we can all tell how fit they are. We had got all their results from the end of last season to compare them with as well."

As with most pre-season friendlies, the result tomorrow will be pretty much irrelevant although new boys Richard Stearman, Sam Voges and Daniel Jones will want to impress in their first public outing in Old Gold.

But a Wolves win would start the ball rolling nicely. It is something they have never managed in three competitive visits to Wrexham.

They lost 4-2 there (despite goals from Phil Chard and Andy Mutch) in their most recent league visit, in Division Four, in 1988, drew 0-0 in the same division the prevous season and drew 2-2 on the way to the Third Division North title in 1924.

Striker Freddy Eastwood will not play tomorrow due to continuing negotiations over a move to Coventry.