FITNESS is the key for the Burton Albion squad as the players get down to serious training.
Mousinho says that the squad is excited about being back and raring to go for the new campaign.
He says: “We don’t have a massive number of new people, so it’s straight back to how it was last year. Because it’s not 7, 8, 9, 10 new players it has been much easier to integrate the new lads and for them to get involved with us.
“It’s going very smoothly. The new lads have come in, done well, adjusted to the way we do things and so we have picked up where we left off.
“Everyone has had a nice break and we have got the reward for what we achieved last season by going up a league. Everyone is really looking forward to that and the opportunity to trust themselves at that level.
“It’s quite easy to come back after such a successful season, to relish it and to want to get our teeth stuck into the new fixture list.
“For the early pre-season games it’s about getting fit and back into the match environment because as much as you train you still lose that match sharpness. That’s the purpose of the first few games but at the same time the gaffer is looking to integrate the way we play into those games as well. You can never start too early with that.
“I don’t think there is that much focus on the results, it’s more about the performance and the fitness base. “
After a break from the action, Mousinho is now glad to be back at the Pirelli Stadium.
He says: “You miss the whole environment, that’s the first thing. It’s great to be back in the routine and to start getting your fitness back. Everyone’s really looking forward to that first game of the season proper. The pre-season is a chance to get back on the pitch and back into the swing of things.”