CHELMSFORD boss Glenn Pennyfather has named a 20-man squad for his first game in charge of Blue Square South promotion contenders Chelmsford City as they travel to Suffolk for their first 2009/10 pre-season friendly at Ram Meadow today, kick off 3pm.

CHELMSFORD boss Glenn Pennyfather has named a 20-man squad for his first game in charge of Blue Square South promotion contenders Chelmsford City as they travel to Suffolk for their first 2009/10 pre-season friendly at Ram Meadow on Saturday, kick off 3pm.

The Clarets' dugout operative is keen to play down concerns over a lack of official signings so far with his bumper predicted line-up for the weekend's Bury Town fixture, explaining that Chelmsford aren't the only club at Conference level without definite names on paper. “This year is particularly stretched for clubs as most just don't have the money to throw about any more,” he explained.

“The supply and demand of players is different this pre-season, and there will be even more available as and when trials have been completed with other clubs.”

With the departures of utility player Chris Duffy and forward Bertie Brayley now confirmed, a radically different squad will carry City's hopes into the new campaign, but Glenn is looking forward to the challenge of the friendly schedule to whittle down a considerable posse of players into eighteen First Teamers. Also explaining Steve Robinson would be missing through injury on Saturday, Pennyfather added: “The players have worked really hard and shown a lot of quality in training, but there's no substitute for match practice and they're all keen to find their fitness on a football pitch rather than running around a field! The adrenaline is pumping for the first two or three friendlies then, when they're out of the way, the focus will all be on our first league game.”