He's raring to go now and told Latics World, "Last year was a total write-off, but I've been training a lot over the summer and the aim now is to start as many games as I can. I'm feeling good at the moment and now I think everyone wants to get pre-season out of the way and get down to the real stuff. We're mainly doing fitness work at the moment - blowing the cobwebs off - although we have been working with the ball and the manager likes to keep things fresh and mix it up a bit. The new faces seem to have fitted in well and we'll see more of them when the friendlies get under way. The numbers are definitely looking a lot bigger than last year!"

"We've got to view the play-offs as a realistic goal. We weren't too far away last year despite injuries to the experienced core running down the spine of the team. Myself, Andy Liddell and Lee Hughes were all out for a long time, while we also lost our top scorer in Craig Davies. The younger lads came in and did very well and we almost made it into the top six only to just miss out. Keeping everyone fit and adding one or two - which we have done - will be crucial this season. I see no reason why we can't be up there challenging if we keep most of our squad fit and available."