GREAT Wakering got their pre-season off to a flyer by holding a training session with their newly-formed youth sides.

The Ryman One North club’s first team and reserves lined-up alongside two of their three new Eastern Junior Youth Alliance teams on the weekend.

Rob Lilley, the club’s commercial manager, said the teams were the product of a partnership between the club and Great Wakering Colts.

He said: “It really is a new dawn for Rovers.

“We’ve always seemed to struggle to entice players to join us due to the distances they may have to travel.

“The new Alliance sides will ensure we have a continuous line of players being developed from under 15, through to the reserves.

“We hope they will ultimately break into the first team.”

The club has also been boosted by the recruitment of Southend United’s first team fitness and conditioning coach, Lawrence Bloom.

He will work with the players twice a month, taking fat measurements, testing fitness levels and using heart rate monitors.

Wakering coach Danny Heath said: “We want the players to be as fit as possible and maintain this fitness throughout the season.

“It’s something new this season – a whole new regime for our players – and we’re hoping it aids player performance after inconsistencies last season.”

Rovers’ management team of Ryan Wilkinson, Cleve Taylor and Heath put their players through a fitness session on Saturday.

They have devised fitness programmes for each of their players, who have also been told they will have to endure dreaded ice baths at the end of games to aid with muscle and tendon recovery.