Terras squad gelling well ahead of pre-season trip to Boro

WEYMOUTH boss Jamie Wells says the club’s pre-season preparations are going well as they prepare to take on Gosport Borough in their first game back since relegation. The Terras’ fall from grace does not appear to have dampened the mood or spirits at the Bob Lucas Stadium, with the club fully focused on moving forward. Off the field, there have been changes, including a new long-term strategy to keep the club sustainable, coupled with new digital branding. On the pitch, there have also been changes, with plenty of fresh faces coming through the door - most notably midfield veteran Wes Fogden and prolific striker Toby Holmes. While most of last year’s team has stayed on board to push for promotion straight back up to Step 3, goal machine Brandon Goodship has moved on to Poole Town. Attention now turns to the club’s first pre-season game, with a trip to Privett Park this evening, and Wells is pleased with how training has gone so far. He told the Echo: “It’s been really good. The lads have been excellent. It’s been a good start to pre-season. “We want challenges, so we have not gone down the normal route of teams we would usually play. We are looking forward to playing teams from outside our area and getting going.” With an influx of new players, creating relationships among teammates can often cause early teething problems, but Wells is hoping that will not be the case for Weymouth, with many of the new faces already familiar with the current crop. On players gelling, he added: “Yeah, they have gelled really well. A lot of them know each other, so they may be new to us but not to some of the lads, and that’s what we wanted - to create a group that sticks together. They are showing that already in pre-season.” Wells has already voiced his ambition to win the Southern League Division One South at the first attempt - an aim echoed by director of football Jason Matthews, as well as skipper Tom Bearwish and club legend Calvin Brooks. To achieve that, the Terras boss wants his side to take the game to the opposition. He said: “It’s the same as last year - we want to be on the front foot, taking games to teams and being competitive. “Teams will need to work hard to get points off us, and we won’t make it easy for anyone.” Despite completing much of the club’s transfer activity early, Wells is still looking to add quality to provide competition for places. When asked if the club is still actively looking to recruit, he added: “Yeah, absolutely. “We’re always looking. We have more players in certain areas, but we have eyes out there on a few players and we’ll have some trialists in pre-season. It’s about making the team stronger and providing competition for places. “The board have been really good, as I have said before. They saw the second half of last season and gave me and Jason a budget, and we are working to that. They are eager to turn things around as much as we are.”