THE summer has been no holiday for Royal Wootton Bassett Town manager Sam Collier as he gears his troops towards the opening weekend of the Hellenic League Premier Division season.

After taking over from Rich Hunter on a temporary basis at the back end of last season, Collier was installed on a permanent basis over the summer.

His appointment sparked a huge overhaul in players, as the Bassett boss looks to put his club back on track.

“We are now looking forward to the season ahead and plan to give it a right go,” he said.

“We want to be a lot harder to beat and that means being fitter and stronger.

“Most people will see us as a lesser side around Swindon, however, I am more than happy with that.

“I am very much enjoying the task in hand and can’t wait for the challenge to start.”

Collier has also enlisted the help of former Highworth Town man Drew Youngsam as part of his coaching set up.

With their first game coming on Saturday, where they take on Tuffley Rovers, Collier says he and Youngsam are happy with the level of his team.

“Pre-season has been a very busy and hard time for me working non-stop trying to attract the right players for the club and I think we are nearly there,” he added.

“One thing we addressed which was a concern was fitness therefore we have worked the lads hard in training and hoping to see the rewards.”

  • ALI Tuttle says his Pewsey Vale side are taking shape nicely ahead of the start of their second season in Hellenic League Division One West

With almost 50 players training with his side over the course of pre-season, Tuttle says his side are strong and admits he wants to be competing for honours at the end of the season.

“The boys returned to pre-season training early July, we have seen 44 different faces overall with our largest training session having 33 present,” he said.

“We are also in limbo over the future of young centre midfielder Ethan Fishlock, who is currently trialling with Melksham Town.

“After our first season back in the Hellenic League and a fourth-place finish, we would hope to be in the mix come the end of the season.

"However predictions are very difficult following the league reshuffle and new clubs coming into our division this season.”

Pewsey are away to Easington Sports on Saturday.