Limbering up for lift out of limbo

Josh Falkingham wants to put last season behind him and kick on in 2013-2014

After the second day back in training Josh Falkingham is feeling good about his fitness and the season ahead:-

"Neil McCann and John Potter have been given big hands on by the gaffer; they have taken the sessions which are not exactly old school. It is enjoyable, there's a bit of ball work in there and the boys seem to be doing well so far with the fitness targets that they have been set.

"It is weird because all the boys are really young lads who are all fit; they have no weight on them anyway. It has been good to see them all back and looking in good shape."

A players' meeting on day one of training set out just what had to be done this season:-

"We need to forget about last year, we need to kick on because it is a new start. We need to make sure that we are in the right mindset and ready to go."

After the disappointment of the First Division play off, the reality has now struck in when the fixtures include not just Josh's old club Arbroath, but Stranraer and Rangers. Life for Josh is nearly always one in which he is looking up but there is a stark contrast to this time last season when Josh was hoping Dunfermline would be challenging for a place in the SPL. Events of last season have made the Pars the snakes and ladders club and Josh will return to grounds that he thought he had left well behind when Jim Jefferies signed him.

"Going through relegation at such a young age is something that the squad will have to deal with but it should stand us in good stead. The reality is that we will be playing in the Second Division this season which is nowhere near what we thought this time last year. It is strange how it has gone but there is nothing we can do. This is the present; I do believe that we have a good set of boys with the right mentality. They are young and still learning but they will never want to feel the pain of relegation ever again."

Albeit still to the emerge out of its current state of limbo, getting the Club back to where it belongs is the stated objective for the players. Josh continued:-

"From what we have been told there is hope for a positive outcome. We hope everything works out, the right people get in control and hopefully the players will be informed day by day if there is anything going on. This year at least we know where we stand, we are not talking about it in training, things are getting dealt with and there is no negativity. There are no doubts over getting paid, that has been swept out of the window. That is a good thing and we are being kept up to date."

The 23 year old Yorkshire "terrier" knows the Second Division clubs well with three Angus teams and the long and winding road to Stranraer but at least there will be one new stadium for him in the forthcoming season:-

"The big one in there is Ibrox, few of us will have played there and it is something to look forward to. It will be a nervous day for the young lads but good nerves and four games to look forward to. Ibrox is the only consolation - an experience playing in front of 40,000 to 50,000. It will be another memory to include in what has been a short career for most of us.

"We want to hit the ground running but it is only day two of training. We have the Hearts game a week on Saturday so we can expect a tough ten days. If they go as they have been now, the coaches will be fair. We cannot mess about and if you do you are only stopping yourself from getting to that next level. We have good guys about us and I am looking forward to getting up to the full fitness."

WEB ALBUM: DAY ONE OF PRE SEASON