Central host Milltown for third pre-season test

Manchester Central are in pre-season action once again as they welcome Lancashire and Cheshire Division A champions Milltown to The Manchester Academy on Tuesday night.

Having already travelled to Eccles and Bollington, Chris Tomkinson's side are the hosts for this one, but with the Seashell Trust unavailable, the game will take place under the lights at The Manchester Academy.

Central will be looking to continue their unbeaten run in pre-season, picking up a 2-2 draw at Bollington following their impressive 6-1 win against Eccles United.

Awaiting the Outcasts on Tuesday are a formidable Milltown side, who scored an incredible 155 goals on their way to the league title last season.

With nine players netting double figures last time out, Milltown's attacking threat is undeniable, something Central's new look defensive line will be keen to neutralise.

Town have an interesting season ahead of them having transferred over to the Lancashire League for the 23/24 campaign, and will certainly provide a strong test for Central as Chris and his team continue to put the lads through their paces.

Central boss Tomkinson has spoken about the importance of performance and conditioning over results in pre-season, but is keen to see how his side face up to the attacking threat posed by Milltown.

"I think Milltown will offer us a test that we haven't come up against so far in pre-season so it will be interesting to see how the boys react.

"Of course you want to win every time you step out onto the pitch, but it's important to remember that pre-season is all about giving the players a chance to run off any summer cobwebs, and it's an opportunity for the new guys who have come in to gel and create a real team spirit."

"I've been very impressed so far with both the new lads coming in and the players who are returning from last season. These games are all about preparing for the new season and making sure that when that first game of the season comes around we're ready to hit the ground running.

"We had a great start to last season so we're keen to replicate that this time around, and to give ourselves the best chance of doing that it's important that our attitude towards these pre-season games is on point and so far the lads have been excellent."

Kick-off for Central Vs Milltown is 8:15pm on Tuesday 11th July.