Rovers midfielder John Spicer looking forward to facing Wolverhampton

Last updated : 31 July 2009 By Yargo
After four relatively low-key warm up games, Spicer says the Rovers squad are ready for the step-up in class.

"I'm looking forward to it; it will be our toughest game so far," he said.

"It will be a good workout against a newly-promoted Premiership team which is just what we need prior to our first league game at Watford tomorrow week.

"Wolves will come up here with a strong team because they are building up their pre-season momentum just as much as we are.

"They'll probably have most of their summer signings and they'll be looking to impress both the manager and the fans. It should be a good game for us to test ourselves and it should be a good game for the fans to watch.

"We are all looking forward to playing on the new pitch and hopefully it will last out for the full season.

"It got quite bad last year and whilst it didn't help the way we like to play, it was the same for both sides.

"Pre-season always seems to go slow - especially compared to the season itself which always goes quite quickly.

"During the season games come thick and fast whilst during pre-season you play less games and you train longer.

"But I enjoy pre-season training and, as I say, it has been good. We've played a few games and we've also trained hard. We also spent three days at an outward bound centre in the Lake District, which was good for team bonding."

Spicer says that he has no regrets at missing out on the overseas pre-season trips preferred by some other teams.

"I don't like long trips away because they can become more of a chore," he said. "You want the trips to be fun, even though you have to work hard."

Spicer still entertains high hopes for the season, despite Richie Wellens' big-money move to Leicester.

"Obviously Richie was a good player and we'll miss him, but I think he'll be fine," he said. "I think that we've got enough quality in the squad to be able to cope."