Peterborough United players in great shape after a tough first day in the heat of Portugal

Two sessions were put on by the Posh coaching team led by assistant manager Cliff Byrne who reported that, this summer, the players all returned in great shape.

The players will be given 45-minute run-outs when they tackle Leyton Orient in a friendly in Portugal on Friday.

Byrne said: “It was a good first day for the players. We revisited the 1k time trial we have done a few times during the pre-season schedule. It gives us a good benchmark to see where we are. We then went straight into some drills, all about ball retention with a few themes running through it.

“In the evening, we opened the pitch size up and worked through a transition game we like to do. It was tough for the players, it always is on the first day when you consider the travelling the day before, but they have come through it well. We will be listening to the sports science department as we build through the week with the game against Leyton Orient on Friday.

“We plan for players to play 45 minutes in that game and then as we move through pre-season, we will get the minutes into the legs ahead of the start of the campaign. The lads all had a programme to stick to during the off season, an individual plan, and they have all come back in good shape.”