Micky's thoughts after the fixture release
The Sky Bet League 1 fixtures are now out and Town can look forward to a season beginning at home against MK Dons on Saturday 6th August and ending with a trip to Oxford United on Sunday 30th April 2017.August looks like a good test for Micky Mellon’s new look Shrewsbury Town side with games against MK Dons, Coventry City, Charlton Athletic, Chesterfield and Gillingham.
The festive period will see Town travel to Bolton Wanderers on Boxing Day, Rochdale on New Year’s Eve before a game at home to Fleetwood Town on Monday 2nd January 2017.
The players are back for the start of pre-season training on Thursday and things will then start to step up as everyone prepares for Saturday 6th August and the visit of MK Dons.
Manager Micky Mellon was back at his desk this week and with the fixtures out is now looking forward to the challenge of this season Sky Bet League 1 campaign.
“It’s quick coming around again but it’s good that we start again with a home game against MK Dons”, said Micky.
“In the first few games we play two of the relegated teams so it will be a very challenging start but you have to play these teams at some stage during the season.
“It will give us a quick indication of where we are as a group early on in the season.”
With Bolton Wanderers, Charlton Athletic and MK Dons dropping down a division the quality of teams in League 1 will once again be high. The fixtures now allow fans to plot out the standout games between August and May.
“I think there are a lot of games in there where people will have their preferences for certain dates and can see where they will be”, added the manager.
“It’s the thing that is so exciting about today and getting the fixtures so we can plot our path through the season.”
The promoted teams from the Sky Bet League 2 will also prove to be tough opposition next season and make the standard in League 1 good. Micky is pleased to see the continuing success of AFC Wimbledon who gained promotion through the play-offs.
“I’ve got some good friends at AFC Wimbledon and know the management group really well so I’m very pleased to see them do well last season and make that next step into League 1”, he said.
“Oxford are a big club, Northampton are a big club, Bristol Rovers are so it’s going to be another tough challenge.
“We will know where we are at very quickly with the start we have to the season so that is a good thing.”
Micky’s focus ahead of games is to look only at the next game but today is one of the days he does look a little further afield. The focus on Thursday switches to the start of pre-season training and the programme in place to get players ready for the Sky Bet League 1 big kick-off.
“I’m not looking at the first game of the season yet if I’m honest, it’s more about day to day now and making sure the players are looked after to get them through training sessions”, said Micky.
“We gauge those training levels to make sure we are knocking at their fitness levels but also to make sure we aren’t getting people injured.
“We will then move into the pre-season games and have a practice at a few things to make sure we are ready for that first game of the season.”
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