Saints have a five-star stay

Jul 1 2008 by Les Stewart, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

A NEW-LOOK Saints squad rounds off the English segment of its pre-season schedule tomorrow – and now the players are counting down to game time.

Two players given training facilities during their stay in the Midlands – experienced target man Derek Holmes and an unnamed Spanish left-back – will learn later this week if boss Derek McInnes intends extending their stay.

Holmes (29), who is keen on a return to Scotland, certainly fits the mould of a striker providing physical presence to provide a contrast to the other Saints attackers.

And with 15 goals for Rotherham last term, it would be no surprise if McInnes was tempted to bring him on board.

Yesterday, with the focus still on exploiting the maximum benefits from enjoying unique access to five-star Premiership class facilities, courtesy of the manager’s contacts at former club West Brom, McInnes was playing his cards very close to his chest.

Instead, he was talking-up the attitude and fitness of his players.

“No decisions have been made yet. I’m certainly enjoying it here and the players have superb facilities on their doorstep.

“They have all been working pretty hard.

“This is a crucial part of the season for any footballer,” said McInnes.

“West Brom have been really accommodating and so have the university people and the hotel staff.

“It’s particularly vital that guys like Jody Morris, Kevin James, Martin Hardie, Stuart McCaffrey and Kevin Rutkiewicz get a full pre-season under their belts.

“And our new signings are bedding in well with the rest of the lads.”

McInnes has utilised the expertise of former full-time Livingston fitness coach Craig Flannigan over the last few days.

He explained: “Craig has a real football pedigree. He was part of the Scotland under-age side which reached the World Cup finals and he had spells with Rangers, Clydebank and Queen of the South.

“His contribution has been valuable.”

With McInnes harnessing cutting edge technology to monitor his players, each squad member has been presented with a tailor-made fitness programme.

The Saints squad returns to Scotland tomorrow night and has a closed doors game with Ayr on Saturday and another low-key match with Hibs next Wednesday.