By Aston
July 31 2007

Town captain Jason De Vos has given his opinion on Town's pre-season preparations and the early return to training for the players. De Vos: "Antwerp and Panathinaikos will be a testing games but that is what we want and need at this stage of pre-season, they will be different styles from what we will face in the Championship but I'm sure it will be a step up in competition from our previous games.

"It's about how we perform, both as individuals and as a team that counts though. Not about what the opposition do.

"Generally speaking, we are happy with the way pre-season has gone, certainly fitness wise.

"Initially players were sceptical about coming back so early but in hindsight it has proved to be the right decision. We have avoided the soreness and muscle strains that you normally get from pre-season because we have eased it out over a longer period rather than compressing it.

"From a fitness point of view, we are certainly where we wanted to be."

Source: Ipswich Town - the official website

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