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Gethin Jones admits increased competition has added a bit of spice to the Wanderers training sessions.
The Bolton full-back, whose goal sealed an impressive win against Preston North End in midweek, believes quality additions like Josh Sheehan, Amadou Bakayoko and George Johnston this summer have made a big difference at Lostock.
But the rush to impress Ian Evatt means inter-squad practice games are not for the faint hearted, as every player tries to secure their place in the starting line-up against MK Dons on August 7.
“There are a lot of fights – well, not actual fighting – but big tackles going in, everyone is trying to get their place in the team, impress the gaffer.
“In the games you need to impress and do your bits as well, it is not good enough just to do it on the training ground.
“We didn’t have a lot of players last season in pre-season and it is tough to work hard in training and then do it again in the games, you can get a bit leggy. That changed in January and we had that extra bit of quality.
“So this season everyone is pushing each other on and I think it means the team plays better.”
Wanderers remain unbeaten in pre-season but neither Jones, nor anyone else in the camp is reading too much into the club’s summer form.
Last year Evatt’s new side rattled in 20 goals and produced some eye-catching performances but then failed to hit the ground running in League Two.
“People look at it in different ways,” he said. “Last year we battered pretty much everyone but it wasn’t a good start at all for us.
“It is more about playing the way we want to play. Getting into those good habits. Fitness-wise, obviously it is better and I think most of us got 60 minutes against Preston, so it will probably be rotated again Saturday.
“After that we have got a really big one back at the UniBol against Blackburn a week on Saturday and they are the ones we can really test ourselves to see where we are at.”
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