THE VICS COLUMN - By Pete Tonge

AFTER three months of frustration and boredom, we finally got the news that we’ ve been waiting for – football can resume from August!

Obviously , there will be restrictions and lots of safety measures and social distancing practices to be put into place to ensure that all runs smoothly when matches do take place again and to that end, Vics have already been working hard with our landlords and friends at Witton Albion to ensure that all necessary (and non necessary) safety precautions will be taken at the ground.

So, under the new rules agreed between the FA and the Government, we can play pre-season friendly matches from the start of August with the first competitive match due to take place on Tuesday, September 1, and what a start to the season it will be, as that first game is the FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round.

With such an important game to start the season, this makes the training and pre-season matches that more important to get right.

Luckily at Vics, our squad of players, old and new, seem to have looked after themselves during lockdown and have returned to training fitter than ever and training sessions have been impressive.

So, now is the time for our head coach Scott Campbell to start tweaking his training regime to get the balance between fitness and technical work right so that the players are ready for a September restart.

Coinciding with the announcement of the return of football, Vics have announced the addition of three new players who have agreed in principle to sign for the club when registrations re-open on August 1.

Firstly, the experienced and versatile Dave Sherlock comes in from Atherton Collieries where he had been for nearly five years (with a couple of short breaks at Congleton Town and Charnock Richard) and helped them win the North West Counties League in his first season there and then also the NPL Division 1 NW title in 2018/19.

Dave is mainly a tough tackling midfielder but in his time at Atherton played in virtually every position possible including keeper for part of a game!

His versatility and no-nonsense tackling will be a great asset for the club.

Next to sign are two players who have followed a similar career path having both been at Altrincham Reserves before moving to West Didsbury and Chorlton at the beginning of last season, firstly Callum Jones, a defensive midfielder and secondly right back Matt Cook . They will add depth to our squad and ensure that there is competition for all places in the team which can only be a good thing.

Lastly this week, head to our website at .northwichvictoriafc.com to see how you can buy a special limited edition retro scarf, inspired by the kit we wore for the 1996 FA Trophy final against Macclesfield Town.

Also we shall keep you updated there with all the latest news regarding friendlies and the forthcoming new season.

In the meantime, we hope that you all stay safe and we shall see you when football returns shortly.