Town manager Joe Royle has the luxury of a virtually fully fit squad ahead of Saturday's opening league game of the season at home to Reading.

Royle says that only John McGreal, on the way back after last season's knee ligament problem, is not currently available: “Everyone's fit, we've got a full compliment with the exception of John McGreal, who still needs three or four games more games before we can consider him seriously. But he is making progress.

“Otherwise Marcus Bent, Chris Makin and Jermaine Wright have all come through.”

Bent picked up a back injury in the draw with Levski Sofia last week while Wright had a groin problem and Makin was rested against the Bulgarians as a precaution due to a thigh strain.

The Town boss says he is impressed with the Royals' summer transfer dealings which have seen his former Manchester City player Shaun Goater move to Berkshire: “They've bought well, they've got Scott Murray in who's pacy and the Goat, bless him, who doesn't know how not to score goals.

“I think they'll be up there, I saw them at Bournemouth last week and they're still tidy and it'll be a hard game for us. They were the surprise package last year, no doubt about it, so I expect them to be up there again.

“Alan Pardew has done very well. He seems to be a name on people's lips. This is a hard season for him, he's got to follow up on last year's success. He's identified what he thought was a weakness with them last year - that they didn't score enough goals - and bringing the Goat in will help him there.”

The recent controversy over the sale of Thomas Gaardsøe is something Royle says has become a bigger issue than it should have: “I think the Thomas thing has got a little bit out of proportion, to be honest. Thomas is a good lad and he played most of the games last year, but we've changed the system and all I said to Thomas when he asked was that I couldn't guarantee him a first team place, so it was a football decision.

“Ideally in a better financial situation we could hang on to players more readily but if you get £500,000 for a player who isn't going to start in your side, it's a good deal. We wish him all the best, he's left a lovely note in there for all the staff about leaving as he was very happy here, but it was a football decision.

And a return to talk of football rather than financial frustration is something Royle is happy about: “We're talking football again that's the main thing. I'm fed up with administration, fire sales and all that vocabulary, we're now talking football again.

“People might think that we haven't got much of a chance but I personally do. I think the three new signings have improved us. We needed to improve our defensive record last year which was poor, and I think the new three will do that.

“I look at the side we'll be putting out and there won't be too many as strong as us. I think we've got a good chance. If our strikers score at the rate they did last year we'll have a great chance. It's the other end which will decide our fate which is why we made the changes.”

Royle says he has no bids currently on the table and that the reported interest in Alun Armstrong were loan enquiries, however as the striker has a hip injury nothing will happen in the short-term. The Town boss feels that the Thomas Gaardsøe transfer has strengthened his hand: “We are getting stronger. The £500,000 from Thomas means that if a wild bid did come in for someone we're that much stronger to resist it now.”

Martijn Reuser has been available on a free transfer since January but Royle now feels in a position where he can keep the Dutchman even if an offer came in: “We still have certain provisions, certain agreements made under the CVA that we have to fulfil. But if someone did ask about Martijn now I would say to him that he can speak to them if he wants but that I don't want him to go. That's changed, six months ago I would have had to say goodbye.

“Martijn's done very well pre-season, the staff tell me he's as fit as he's been since he moved here. He looks lean and ready and he's very much in my thoughts. He's doing very well.

The Town boss feels his side's pre-season preparations have got his side able to cope with the current heatwave conditions: “We have plenty of water out there when we're training, and I think it's going to be like this on Saturday. We hope so anyway. We're fit enough, we've worked hard pre-season with the fitness coach.”

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