By Gareth Davies

TRURO City began pre-season training at the end of June with the sessions held so far impressing assistant boss Stewart Yetton.

Yetton, the Tinners’ all-time leading goalscorer revealed that although the players were very much put through their collective paces, focus quickly turned on pre-season games, which started with a trip to Western League Premier outfit Torpoint Athletic last night.

“The sessions we have had so far have gone really well,” Yetton told trurocity.co.uk. “It has been good to get the lads back together and they look really fit. The atmosphere in the camp is good, even if the players are run very hard in the first couple of sessions, to see where their levels are at.

“It has to be very physically demanding and then we will taper that side of things off a bit next week when we start playing games. We try and mix things up with running, ball work, technique, so it is very hard work for the first few sessions.

“But now we are back in pre-season training, that excitement is really building for the season ahead.”

And the forthcoming campaign will see the club end close to four years in exile with a return back to the Duchy, along with a different occupier of the manager’s hotseat, for the first time since 2019.

Yetton, 38, who will continue in his number two role under new Tinners boss John Askey, felt that there is a mood change in the air amongst the group, owing to the move home to the Truro Sports Hub, along with the change of manager too.

“Naturally it is going to be different because a few things have changed over the summer,” he added. “First and foremost, everyone is excited about going back to Truro this year, so that is a big factor in a lot of lads’ exuberance.

“We have a new manager and with change can come a bit of apprehension, because lads have to find their feet and understand the new manager, with the changes that will bring.

“For those (players) that have been around for a while, you might think you have to prove yourself again. No doubt some of the players will have that mindset too which isn’t a bad thing because you can get into a comfort zone.

“Some players can be fired up by change but overall, there are lots of different things to look forward to, which includes new players that will come in.

“A large part of the squad will stay the same, but with John coming in, it switches things up and with the move back to Truro, that makes things doubly exciting for the football club.”

The first training sessions of pre-season also saw new recruit Dan Lavercombe link up with his new team mates after joining Truro, following his departure from Taunton Town.

Yetton revealed that he was instantly impressed with the former Wigan Athletic custodian and believes he will ‘become a very good signing’ for City.

“He has fitted in well with the lads and the small part of the sessions that the goalkeepers have joined in with, he has looked really good,” Yetton enthused.

“It is always good when you sign a new player and your first glimpses of him are very impressive. We have lost a good goalkeeper over the summer, but we have replaced him with another good one in Lav’s.

“I think he will fit in well because of his character and the way he has interacted with the lads.

“Lav’s will become a very good signing for us, that I have no doubt about.”