Bring it on...

7:56am Wednesday 9th July 2008

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MIDFIELD strongman Craig Stanley is raring to go ahead of the new season - and is looking forward to a battle for his place.

The 25-year-old knows there is serious competition for a shirt, especially in his centre midfield berth, but that is not a worry.

“We had a lot of centre midfielder here last season,” Stanley tells the Citizen. “The gaffer let a couple go in the summer but also brought Michael Carr in so there is competition again.

“That is a good thing and it is not just in midfield. We have competition across the whole squad and that’s the way you want it.

“If you have competition it keeps lads on their toes and you know you can’t rest. You have to keep performing to keep your place.”

The Bedworth-born Stanley has been a vital cog in the Morecambe midfield since joining from Hereford United two years ago.

And he is looking forward to the start of the season, even though there is another month of tough pre-season to get through.

“It’s great to be back in training. It is always tough when you go back and it is a little unusual for me this year because I have had two months off this time,” he adds.

“It’s been a while since I had such a long time off because I have been involved in the play-offs most years.

“So you know it’s going to be tough when you get back - but that’s the only way for it to be.

“It has to be tough to prepare you for the season. You have to hit the ground running.”

Stanley - like the rest of his Christie Park colleagues - cannot wait for the big kick-off at Wycombe Wanderers on August 9 and the tasty Carling Cup tie at Nottingham Forest four days later.

“The Forest game will be a special night. You always want to play in games like that - but anything we do there is a bonus,” he says. “The important game is the Wycombe game. You want to win your first match and I see no reason why we cannot start well and go on to have a better season than last year.

“We made too many mistakes last year and we are going to learn from them.

“It was a learning curve for a lot of us last season and all the lads are looking ahead bow to the start of this season."