Gill - Pre-season vital for team bonding

Midfielder Matt Gill believes the Canaries will reap the benefit of their pre-season tour when they are faced with their first setback of the new League One campaign.

“It is very important in the low times - because there will be low times and disappointments,” he said. “That's when your team spirit and camaraderie can get you through those times and you come out at the other end stronger for it.

“These away trips are great for building team spirit.

“It helps us loads. Team bonding is always excellent on away trips, even overnight stays when you go to away games it helps the team spirit and team bonding.

“I was really looking forward to coming away with the lads and it's been great so far.”

Gill - Bryan Gunn's first summer singing when he joined from Exeter last month - knows that after bonding comes the hard work, and he believes he is seeing important signs that things are coming together on the pitch as well as off it.

The former Fakenham High School pupil put in a man of the match performance in Tuesday's tour opening 1-0 win at Raith, a midfielder partnership Owain Tudur Jones improving as the game went on.

“I think when you play with good players it comes together pretty quickly,” he said. “The lads are all good players and obviously were Championship players last year so they are all good players.

“It takes a little bit of time for everyone to get to know each other's game but I think things are getting there and if you work hard on the training pitch it will come out on a match day.

“I have trained now for two and a bit weeks with the lads and we are getting to know each other's game and the lads looked good and we are getting sharper by the day and I am sure we will be peaking by August 8.

“We are working hard, we have come up to Scotland to work hard.”

Gill added: “The squad is very good so I think competition for places is a great thing to have in a squad so if people are pushing each other that can only help the starting XI and the manager.”