Town boss Mick McCarthy says he and the squad have had a great week training at the Carton House Hotel in Co Kildare. The Blues begin their pre-season programme tomorrow with their now annual friendly against Shelbourne at Tolka Park (KO 3pm).
"It’s been a great week, the lads have come back and really been right at in the sessions we’ve put on,” McCarthy told the club site.
"They’ve impressed us all in how fit they’ve come back and you can see from the tempo of training that they are doing well.
"The facilities out here are second to none and that really helps. We’ve got the best pitches available to us, the gymnasium is superb and the staff here really look after us.
"The lads are really putting the work in as we build up to the season and they will be able to get out onto the grass tomorrow against Shelbourne.
"As well as working hard, they also need their downtime and to bond as a group. We gave them Wednesday off and a few of them had a round of golf here at Carton House, some of the lads went to the cinema. It’s all part of it and spirits are high.”
The Town boss, who has taken the Blues to Carton House during the previous two pre-seasons and has also been there with Wolves and Sunderland, is expected to field a different XI in each half of Saturday’s game, as he has done in previous years. Shelbourne are once again likely to play largely an U19 team.
Ireland strikers Daryl Murphy and David McGoldrick and Scotland defender Christophe Berra are not with the party as they were given an extra two weeks off having been away on international duty until mid-June, but midfielder Kevin Bru did make the trip having been with Mauritius.
Youngsters Adam McDonnell and Dylan Connolly will be facing their old club, while academy full-backs Myles Kenlock and Josh Emmanuel are also with the squad having impressed McCarthy during the first week of pre-season training at Playford Road.
Winger Cameron Stewart is a notable absentee having remained in Suffolk.