Morecambe boss Bentley: Opening friendly like a '˜reward'

Morecambe boss Jim Bentley believes his side's return to action is almost like a 'reward' for his players.
Andy Fleming will miss Morecambe's opening friendly.Andy Fleming will miss Morecambe's opening friendly.
Andy Fleming will miss Morecambe's opening friendly.

The Shrimps play their first pre-season friendly at Evo-Stik First Division North side Bamber Bridge on Tuesday night after a couple of hard weeks of work in training.

Bentley said: “The lads always look for the first competitive game.

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“The first couple of weeks are always the hardest and it’s nice for them to get on the pitch.

“It’s almost like a little reward.

“They’ve been working really hard and are all ready for a game now.”

The hardest part of The Shrimps’ pre-season has been their trip up to the Lake District for Cassius Camps last Thursday, where the squad were pushed to their limits taking on tough obstacle courses amongst other challenges.

Bentley said: “It was a tough day, a long day.

“It brought them together and they got each other through it.

“It was tough both mentally and physically.”

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A number of trailists are expected to get the chance to impress Bentley at the Sir Tom Finney Stadium but some players will be missing with slight niggles.

Both Andy Fleming and Luke Conlan have slight hamstring problems while Rhys Turner has tweaked an ankle in training.

All three are expected to be fit to feature in the mini tournament against Blackburn Rovers and Bury at the Globe Arena this Saturday, July 16.

The majority of the squad are expected to get 45 minutes against Bamber Bridge with kick-off 7.30pm.