Andy Ritchie spoke to htafc.com this morning as the first pre-season friendly ahead of the 2007/08 season approaches - tomorrow night's short trip to AFC Emley (kick-off 7.30pm).

The Town boss, overseeing his first pre-season in charge at the Galpharm following his appointment in mid-April, told the official website that he is very happy with the fitness levels of his squad so far.

"There are one or two little niggles that people have picked up, like tight hamstrings, but nothing major. All in all, it's nothing you wouldn't expect from pre-season training.

"Nathan (Clarke) picked up a knock on the ankle late last week and so he didn't train on Saturday but he was back today without any problems."

In fact it has been good news on both Clarkes, with both Nathan and younger brother Tom returning from their respective injuries that have prevented them from making a first-team appearance under their new boss.

"Tom Clarke has been rested once or twice, but again you would expect this given he has done nothing on his leg for such a long time. I think we've rested him at the right times and he's come through that now; in fact, he was the sharpest I have seen him today and he said himself that it like the best session he's had since coming back.

The Town manager knows better than most how hard it is to come back from a serious injury - he slipped a disk in his back during his playing days with Oldham Athletic.

"He's shown a great determination to come back from that injury; the rehab is the most frustrating period, as you repeat the same motions over and over again on your own while the rest of your team-mates are training as normal. It will make him a stronger person when he is properly through it.

"When it comes to both the Clarke brothers, I think we're all hoping that their injury troubles are behind them and they can now get some continuity to their football. I think they'll both feature at Emley on Wednesday - Tom maybe not as much as Nathan."

Ritchie will be taking a full-strength squad to Wednesday night's game at the Welfare Ground.

"Everyone should play a part in the game as we want to keep everybody as fresh as possible ahead of our trip to Bridlington on Saturday. We're working hard with Ed Baranowski to keep the players as fit as possible and we're looking to give Lee an easy time in the physio room.

"Our main aim from the game is fitness, but we do want a respectable game of football too. We'll be looking to use as many subs as we can, but we may struggle to do so in the Rochdale and Mansfield games as the FA have clamped down on the number of substitutions in friendlies."

It was immediately clear that Andy's views on this ruling were far from positive.

"Personally, I think that's stupid; in pre-season, you should be allowed to bring on as many players as you want. The referees are adamant that players going off in friendlies cannot go back on again and I understand that they don't want the games to become a farce, but they have to be mindful of the purpose of pre-season friendlies - in the grand scheme of things, they don't mean anything in terms of results but they are a good opportunity to work the team tactically.

"Having said all that, it's always good to win your pre-season games as it will help to breed confidence within the fans."

He was also keen to encourage Town fans to come along to Emley to see his new-look squad in action, which will include Town's three new permanent signings.

"Obviously Frank (Sinclair) was here on loan last season, but the two other new lads have settled in superbly; you would think they had been here 3 years, not 3 weeks!

"The fans will have a chance to see the new lads on Wednesday - unfortunately, that won't include Robbie Williams."