EXCLUSIVE Tom Barkhuizen Preston North End column: Looking ahead to the big kick-off

Here we go again, another pre-season done and the new campaign starting on Saturday.
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We are as ready for it as we can be, things obviously having been a bit different this summer to how they normally are.

The fact that pre-season training has only been four weeks instead of the usual six or seven weeks, was good from a physical point of view.

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With the gap between the eventual end of last season and the start of this being a much shorter one, we didn’t have to do quite as much of the running as we would do.

Celebrating the opening goal against Mansfield in the Carabo CupCelebrating the opening goal against Mansfield in the Carabo Cup
Celebrating the opening goal against Mansfield in the Carabo Cup

Any player will tell you that is a good thing, not that we haven’t been working hard these last few weeks.

It is mentally where you are having to adjust a bit more, in your head there hasn’t been that long gap to press ‘reset’.

A lot of the focus has been on the match fitness side of things, playing the friendlies, and we have done well in those games generally.

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Between the end of the season and reporting back for pre-season training, I managed to get away on holiday for a couple of weeks.

I went to Mykonos, one of the Greek islands, and it was nice to switch off for a bit.

Initially I had booked to go to Ibiza but then the quarantine rule came in for people returning from Spain, so I booked Mykonos instead.

Some of the other lads didn’t manage to get away this summer, deciding it wasn’t worth the hassle in these uncertain times.

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For me, it was good to get some time away, relax and get ready for the season.

We start against Swansea at Deepdale and that is going to be a tough game.

Swansea got themselves into the play-offs on the final day of last season and they will be aiming for the play-offs or automatic promotion this time.

They are a good passing team and we will have to be ready for what they bring.

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It can be difficult to make judgements on teams in the first couple of games of the season.

On the first day you can be nervy and edgy, still trying to find your feet and put into practice what you have been doing during the pre-season. It can take a couple of games for things to settle down and see a true reflection of a team.

Hopefully we can hit the ground running and get off to a strong start.

What I thought was good during pre-season was playing the Carabao Cup game against Mansfield.

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Although it came during the list of friendlies, it was a competitive game and your mindset does change for that reason. We wanted to win and get into the second round and we put in a very professional performance.

It had that extra bit of competitive edge and that was a good test.

The fact I scored in the game was good for me, it got me off the mark and I was pleased with the finish.

I’m always looking to score a decent amount of goals, so to get one in the first competitive game was very pleasing. Hopefully there will be a lot more to come.

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Obviously we are starting the season in the same situation as we finished the last one, with no supporters in the stadium.

It is not ideal but we just have to be patient and look forward to the time when people can come to games.

We all want to get back to some sense of normality as quickly as possible.