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Facilities Fantastic at Irish Training Base - Ipswich Town News

Boss Mick McCarthy says the Carton House hotel in County Kildare is the ideal place for his squad to spend a week training during pre-season.

The squad is due back at Playford Road for tests on Thursday 26th and Friday 27th June with the five-and-a-half-week pre-season programme getting underway in earnest the following week.

As last year, the Blues will spend a week training at Carton House, where McCarthy has previously taken his Wolves and Sunderland squads.

"The facilities are fantastic, the hotel is brilliant, the food is second to none," he said. "It’s got a great golf course, there are two of them.

"It’s a good atmosphere, we don’t have to go travelling around the world to get it and we put some money into the Irish economy.

"All the lads loved it last year. As soon as they got into the place it was ‘wow!’, the set-up is knock-out. We get well looked after.”

Following the opening friendly in Ireland against Shelbourne at Tolka Park, Dublin on Saturday 12th July, McCarthy says the UK-based friendlies will be along the same lines as last summer with games at Colchester (Wednesday 23rd July) and Gillingham (Saturday 26th July, although not yet confirmed) amongst them.

"We’ll be playing similar games, Gillingham, Colchester, Southend,” he added. "Pre-season friendlies are a means to just getting fit to play the first game on August 9th.

"We’re geographically challenged, aren’t we? We want games we can just get to without staying overnight or travelling three hours before you play them. You just want to get there and have a so-called friendly game.”

While West Ham visit Portman Road on Wednesday 16th July, McCarthy says he hopes to play a home friendly the week before the Championship season gets underway: "We’re trying to get one on August 2nd. I’d like to play here before we start, it depends who is available.”

Town will learn their 2014/15 fixture list, which barring a miracle will include two East Anglian derbies against Norwich City, on Wednesday 18th June.

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