TIVIDALE manager Ross Thorpe is delighted with the pre-season spirit being shown by his players.

Thorpe and fellow joint boss Phil Male began training last week as the club prepares for another season in Northern Premier League Division One South.

He said: “It has been very good so far. The attitude of all the players has been spot on.

“It was clear to see we have come a long way in the six weeks we have been here. The players are all working very hard for each other and pushing each other on.

“The key now is to maintain those levels as we get closer to the start of the new season.”

Pre-season training has also seen more than 20 players in attendance after the new management duo worked hard to build an entire new team after the majority of last season’s squad followed former boss Ian Long to Alvechurch.

However, Thorpe again underlined his desire to keep the identity of his new additions under wraps through fear they may be tempted to move elsewhere ahead of the coming campaign.

One player that fans can look forward to seeing in action is goalkeeper Tom Turner.

Turner was unveiled as Tivi’s first summer signing on Monday after returning to the club.

He was signed by former boss Ian Long last summer but found game time hard to come by once Charlie Price, who has now moved on to Stourbridge, had been handed the number one jersey at the beginning of the 2014/15 season.

The 22-year-old 'keeper eventually moved back to former club Causeway United on loan to seek first team football but Turner is delighted that Thorpe and Male wanted to bring him back to The Beeches.

He said: “I’m really pleased to be here, this is a great football club.

“Obviously it was a little disappointing at the start of last season for me but I’m not somebody who likes sitting around and not playing games.

“Charlie (Price) is a very good goalkeeper and once he’d nailed down the jersey, it was always going to be tough to dislodge him thereafter.

“It speaks volumes that Charlie will be playing at a higher level next year but I want to concentrate on me having a good pre-season and make sure that I’m number one for Tividale this season."