A LOT of people think professional football is an easy life. I have been there, and let me say it is a wonderful life, but you have to be working hard to succeed.

Pre-season is particularly hard work for the whole squad. It’s all about fitness and the ambitions you set for yourself when the serious stuff begins.

MORE TOP STORIES:

The hard graft you put in during the training sessions will stand you in good stead for when the league games start, and friendlies are a really important part of it for everyone in the team finding their confidence for the task ahead.

Manager Sean Dyche will be pleased with last Friday’s 2-1 win against Etoile Carouge. It’s always good to chalk that first win off to take some of the pressure off.

But I’m sure all he will have been looking for is how the fitness levels are coming on and I’m sure he won’t have been disappointed.

Jason Shackell didn’t feature due to a bit of an injury, but will it stop Derby County coming back with an increased offer for our skipper having had £2million turned down last month.

If they do, we will have to remain resolute and say ‘no’ as having to get a replacement for such a key player would be hard.

Having said that, the manager has done a great job in getting Matt Lowton in for Kieran Trippier and Jelle Vossen for Danny Ings.

Shackell has not come out and said he wants to go, and you get the impression he has unfinished business with Derby and is leaning towards a move back there.

But one way or another the situation needs resolving, and the sooner the better.

Vossen has yet to feature as he is still awaiting international clearance, but hopefully that will all come through in time to see him in action against Accrington Stanley on Saturday.

Lukas Jutkiewicz is off the mark already and that will be a boost for the striker.

After scoring six in last summer’s friendlies he will have been disappointed not to transfer that form into the league.

It does affect your confidence and he showed a lack of it on the occasions he played last season. Whenever he made a mistake his head dropped.

Hopefully this can lift him and he can compete for a place in the starting line-up.

I’d expect Sam Vokes to lead the line, so it will be interesting to see who else forms the partnership for the new season.

That’s another reason why pre-season is so useful, because the manager can chop and change things.

Fingers crossed we go into the opening day televised game at Leeds United on August 8 with a clean bill of health, because we’ve had enough bad luck with injuries.