PRESTATYN Town manager Ryan Turner is gearing up for an intense preparation period before the defence of their JD Cymru North title.

The Seasiders’ are eagerly anticipating news from the Football Association of Wales regarding a potential return to training in the coming weeks, with much depending on the Welsh Government’s announcement on Friday, February 19.

Second-tier clubs face a gruelling schedule that will see them play 15 games in ten weeks in a bid to get their disrupted campaign started and finished in double-quick time.

Turner is well aware of the pressures on his squad with work commitments, but he is hoping to get a significant number of sessions into the new-look group before competitive action gets underway.

He said: “We’ve still not received any indication of when training can start. It’s very frustrating for us with having a new squad and not knowing how much time we will have together to prepare on the training ground.

“The training will be intense, and we will have to cram as many sessions in as we can around the players work commitments which we will also have to take into consideration.

“Friendlies are very important for our preparation as well and the sooner we are given the go-ahead the better.

“With only playing each team once we will have to hit the ground running as a slow start could have a big impact on where we finish.

“This is why it’s so important that we are given the go-ahead to start training to give us the best possible chance of a good start.”

Turner has assembled a squad more than capable of challenging despite most of last season’s championship-winning squad following previous boss Neil Gibson out of the door, and he’s confident they can adjust to the new normal and secure promotion to the JD Cymru Premier.

“Obviously, there are new match day procedures to adhere to but that’s better than not playing,” he added.

“Our staff and volunteers have been fantastic behind the scenes and will assist with the new procedures.

“Some of the players haven’t kicked a ball competitively for several months and it’s a big lift for them knowing they’ve got a date to work towards. The only disappointing factor for me is that our fans probably won’t be allowed to watch and get behind the lads.”