Sam Ricketts: Curtain-raiser will help Shrewsbury Town
Sam Ricketts believes Shrewsbury Town’s season opener at an empty Riverside Stadium tonight will act as preparation for the truncated campaign ahead.
Town head to Middlesbrough for their first competitive fixture in almost six months, after little more than four weeks back in pre-season training at Sundorne Castle.
Ricketts insisted he is treating the Carabao Cup tie as a competitive fixture, but feels his side are still in pre-season mode.
“It’s not an easy game to start with, and we’re still stuck firmly – in my eyes – in pre-season in terms of preparation,” said Ricketts, who was ideally looking for a six-week pre-season ahead of a competitive return.
“We’re still gathering momentum, pace, speed and everything that goes with it.
“But it will be good to get back to football. And if we were to win this game it’d be an amazing result.”
Ricketts, who said a first proper experience of playing behind closed doors will also serve his players well, added: “It’s a competitive game, so we’re treating it as a competitive game. But it’s so early – in effect we would be playing a friendly on this day had it not all been moved forward.
“It’s not a friendly, we can only make three subs, so that changes the dynamic, but ultimately we’re preparing to win the game.”
Midfielders Ollie Norburn and Josh Vela are unavailable for the first-round tie and the boss admitted the likes of new signing Marlon Fossey will have to be rushed into shape in competitive fixtures. Town’s newest recruit, Wolves loan goalkeeper Matija Sarkic, is away on international duty with Montenegro so will not feature. Harry Burgoyne is likely to start in goal.
Ricketts added of his side’s quick turnaround: “It’s been very short and quick. Pre-season is normally six weeks after a short break but the players have had months and months off and we’ve not had the six weeks.
“We’ve done four-and-a-half or five weeks going into the first competitive game, so it’s really condensed.
“It seems to have flown by and it’s probably the same for every team.
“The pre-season effect will probably go many weeks into the season, it probably won’t be until October before everyone’s back into the groove and at full speed.”
