Gez on the right track

RARING TO GO . . . Anthony Gerrard is happy to put in the hard miles before the season gets underway.

ANTHONY Gerrard says he is fitter now than he was at the end of last season.

The experienced Athletic defender (31) is enjoying the rarity of being put through his pre-season paces, having had no club at this stage over the past two summers and being forced to regularly endure injury problems in the close season prior to that.

The powerful centre-back could feature tonight at Salisbury FC (7.45pm kick-off), after sitting out what was effectively a reserve-team outing at Stalybridge Celtic.

Part of a squad that travelled to the University of Bath yesterday - Leeds goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell is also in the south-west with the club - Gerrard says he is mentally in a far better place thanks to the security of a contract, signed back in January, that still has another two seasons to run.

"Mentally, I feel like I'm flying," said Gerrard, whose past two half-seasons with Athletic have tallied 32 appearances, including 16 wins and 13 clean sheets, to twice rescue the club from deep relegation trouble.

"I have come back for this pre-season in better shape than when I left.

"I can only build on that and I'm getting fitter with every session. I come in wanting to work hard and once you have been out of the loop for six years, it's refreshing to come in and get a pre-season - touch wood - that's injury-free so far.

"As much as you can do your own training, you don't have that someone to push you that extra little bit. When you are in here, everyone is dragging each other through."

So far, Athletic have made two new signings in Dan Gardner and Craig Davies with the promise of more to come.

Brighton left-back Rob Hunt has been high on the 'wanted' list all summer and reports suggest he could be set to join on a permanent basis. There is talk of a possible return for Jose Baxter and boss John Sheridan is also hunting a new striker, possibly on loan.

"The new lads will sing their initiation songs and it's a chance to get away," Gerrard said of the Bath trip, which also takes in a behind-closed-doors friendly at Swindon on Friday (noon kick-off).

"I would have loved it to be a summer on the continent, but as it is we are in Bath! It will be good and very hard. We are not here to pussyfoot around but to get the miles in the bank and kick on."