BURNHAM Ramblers boss Keith Wilson was pleased with the fitness levels of his players as they returned for pre-season training.

Wilson took charge of a training session at Leslie Field on Saturday ahead of the new Essex Senior League season.

After a tough run through Wilson was satisfied with the way many of the players had come through the day.

He said: “It was a good session but it was very hot though.

“There were good numbers with about 26 players taking to the pitch, with eight or nine missing through other commitments.

“The lads that I know and had asked down, all their fitness levels were good.

“And that’s the thing with players today, they do tend to look after themselves better than they used to.

“A few people got a little bit found out on their fitness levels.

“But that’s what you get with triallists – if you have five out there maybe one you want to keep.

“That’s how it goes in pre-season.”

Wilson was, however, glad to be able to get back onto the pitch as he prepares for their first pre-season game on July 21 against Tillingham.

He said: “It is good to get back into the swing of things.

“It was, to be fair an excellent session though.

“Which is good because it means we can hit the ground running.

“We will have another couple of training sessions. But I think that we can start working on the football side of things as early as Saturday. We can work on patterns and styles of play.

“It’s early days still and players are still tooing and froing from different clubs.

“But pre-season is all about getting to know one another, styles of play and so when the season starts we are ready to go.”