and things are certainly starting to move towards that first BSP game on 8th August. Wrexham have been installed as 12/1 to win the BSP this season which could well be worth a punt if Deano continues with his policy of waiting for quality and getting the right man. The news that Mani Assoumani is due to fly in later to day is a good indication of this as the guy looked good in the games he played last season. From the look of the pre season training regime the players have been through Saunders is obviously planning on the high energy football killing teams off in the final quarter that served us so well when he first arrived. I bet the players can’t wait for tomorrow and a chance to kick a ball in anger against Coventry just as a change from running on beaches, forests and rivers!

The biggest shock of the week had to be the decision to switch the local derby against Chester to Sunday lunchtime. Comments on various fans forums on this ask the question as to why North Wales police cannot look after 5,000 fans the vast majority of whom are well behaved on a traditional Saturday afternoon kick off and to be brutally honest I do not know why either. Far higher profile games take place on Saturday afternoons each week with far bigger crowds, imagine if every London derby had to be a Sunday morning! This season in the Premier League we have Bolton, Blackburn, Wigan and Burnley together with the two Liverpool and two Manchester clubs so I wonder how many of these games will be moved on police insistence rather then for TV.

Good luck to the two remaining Welsh clubs in their European ventures next week. I witnessed The New Saints exit last night at the hands of Fram Reykjavik and Llanelli fell to Scottish Premier side Motherwell. This leaves Rhyl playing the once mighty Partizan Belgrade with the first leg next Tuesday and Bangor City playing the Finnish side Honka. Bangor’s second leg is at The Racecourse in a couple of weeks time and the close proximity of our pre season friendly against them to the first leg has resulted in the match being called off. This is the second Welsh Premier side to pull out of friendlies against us on the particular Monday evening. Still plenty to look forward to as the season’s build up continues to gather momentum.

Steve