LOUIS Thompson says he feels as fit as he has ever been, as the Swindon Town midfielder cranks up his preparations for the new League One campaign.

Thompson, at 19 still one of the more experienced members of the Robins’ squad in 2014/15, is expected to feature prominently in the middle of midfield this term.

And he’s determined to make it a full season of action, rather than the truncated spells he endured last year because of injury.

He told the Advertiser: “I felt good. I’ve had a good pre-season so far. I’ve topped up the fitness levels and, to be fair, the summer fitness programme that we had kept us at a level which was pretty high from the previous season.

“Personally, I feel the fittest I’ve ever been and I think the team feel that as well. I think that showed (against Southampton) and in the last 20 minutes we looked quite strong.

“I’ll look at targets when I finish pre-season. At the moment it’s just about getting through with no niggles and get into the first few games 100 per cent fit. That’s my aim.

“Last season was frustrating - I was picking up little niggles here and there and that’s what I want to cut out. I’ve worked on my fitness with the fitness coach and the physio and so far so good, touch wood.

“For me, I want to emulate what I did last year, repeat it and go one step further if I can.”

With Thompson competing alongside Yaser Kasim, Massimo Luongo, Anton Rodgers and Ben Gladwin for one of three central midfield slots in manager Mark Cooper’s starting XI this term, the academy product knows he’ll need to be on top form to nail down a regular spot.

“We’ve got some very gifted players in there,” he said. “We’ve got Yas, Mass and Anton and Benjy to come back in. There’s competition for places, that’s for sure. I think that can only be good for the boys. It will keep them on their toes and hopefully it will bode well for the season.”