FOLLOWING relegation from South West Division 1 last season, Maidenhead Rugby Club have just one item on their agenda this year – to bounce straight back up.
And, with a new management team at the helm, the club is confident it can achieve its goal.
Simon Edwards’ appointment as under 19s coach for South and South West England prompted a major reshuffle at the end of last season, with Tony Brooks taking over the main coaching role.
However, to ensure success, the club has also appointed a fitness coach to get the very best out of the players.
Brooks said: “We have a new fitness coach, Callum Ferguson, a warrant officer in the Army, and he really does know his stuff.
“We have worked very hard in pre-season training on fitness, and the level of effort the boys have put in has been very good.
“They have worked exceptionally hard, so we can hopefully hit the ground running.”
Unfortunately, Maids are currently suffering their perennial pre-season injury problems.
Speedsters Dan Walton and Tony Young are both injured, skipper Jody Dance is still short of his 100 per cent best, while veteran lock Bob Wells looks like missing the beginning of the season.
However, there was also some good news, with flanker Richard Miller now recovering from back surgery, while winger Simon Cripps is making a gradual return to fitness after suffering severe burns when a party prank went horribly wrong last year.
Preparations for the promotion campaign will be tested tomorrow (Saturday), with a pre-season friendly against unpronounceable Welsh opponents Llantwit Fardre, from Pontypridd.
However coach Brooks believes his side are ready, mentally and physically, for what will be a difficult game.
He said: “Attitude of mind is a big issue and that’s what we’re focussing on.”
“We have some very good individual players and I have been very impressed with them.
“It’s just a case of them believing in themselves and going out to produce the goods.”
The game is at Braywick and kicks-off at 3pm.