Deano's Date At The Farm?

The appearance of a Tigers legend is the highlight of a busy pre-season...

Deano delighted at being selected for the Casuals game

Two weeks into pre-season and things would appear to be shaping up nicely.  There's been a decent turnout at training, with this week's beach session proving particuarly popular!
In addition there has been plenty of chat on Facebook suggesting that many lads are also getting a bit of extra work in-between to ensure they hit the ground running. 
Amusingly (but not surprisingly) there are certain players who have so far failed to make any training session.  No doubt the usual excuses will be trotted out...to be followed by the similarly usual mutterings of complaint when they're not selected for the opening games!  Ah, the joys of grassroots football.

Our build-up to the new season has been given added impetus with the news that Hull City legend Dean Windass is "99% certain" to be in the Ex-Tigers ranks when they face a Casuals Select XI at the forthcoming Community Fun Day on Sunday 25th July.

Before worrying just what "Deano" might do to the poor sod asked to mark him (!) the initial reaction to his impending arrival is one of sheer delight.  With all due respect to his team-mates (some of whom were my heroes during my regular Tiger-trekking days of the 80s & 90s) none quite has the pulling power of the man who scored the goal that propelled his home-town team into the top flight of English football for the first time in their history on that never-to-be-forgotten day in May 2008.

The sweetest strike I've ever witnessed!

In addition to the Fun Day, I've just about managed to complete the pre-season schedule for all three teams.

The senior squad begin on Saturday week (17th July) with a trip to Hamilton Panthers.  This is a reciprocal arrangement for the York League side's visit to us last year and will allow me to be reacquainted with The Ainsty pub where last year, following our pre-season draw at Poppleton, I settled down to enjoy Hull KR's tea-time Derby win while quaffing several pints of excellent ale. 
We follow the York trip with three successive home games.  On 24th July we entertain NCEL side Barton Town Old Boys (2pm) followed a week later by the visit of Pontefract Amateurs (3pm).  Our final visitors are the East Riding County FA Juniors Rep side, provisionally set for Monday 9th August at 6.30pm.

Those players not selected for the above games will get chance to have a run in the AnXI squads selected by Kev Appleyard and Iain McNaught for games at home to Thorngumbald Trinity (21st July), St Andrews FC (29th July) and Roos (still TBC).

All of which should bring us to Saturday, 14th August when the serious stuff begins...