Steve says he will reduce the number of games we will play in pre-season this time around

Steve Davis has revealed to the club’s official web-site that he will look to reduce the number of games we play during pre-season. The Alex boss is still finalising some of our summer fixtures and we will bring you any details of these once they are confirmed, but the Alex boss has suggested that there won’t be as many as 11 like last season.

Steve told crewealex.net: “We are still finalising our pre-season fixtures. Some are sorted out and we are still looking for one or two.

“It is difficult in a World Cup year to get Premier League teams to commit to a pre-season friendly because a lot of their players will be away and will need a longer break. It can be difficult but we will do our best to get some decent games at home.

“We played a lot of games last summer and I don’t think we will have as many this time around. We needed the games to give the new players’ time to bed in and get some game time. I think that helped them but then you run the risk of injury.

“Manchester United came to our ground and it was a great game to have, but then we lost Pogba four days before the season was about to start. It was a real blow to our plans. It is trying to find that balance.

“We will go to Nantwich and Leek because they are local and are always well supported by our fans as they are not far to go. It is also nice to give something back and help with their finances. “