WANDERERS will start their promotion push on May 23 less than three weeks after this season ends.

Boss John Gorman has called all the players back in for training that week to ensure they don't lose their fitness during the summer.

They will spend the week training before going off on their holidays and then coming back again on June 30 to begin the pre-season in earnest.

Manager John Gorman said: "We want to make a good start this season and I want to make sure everyone is fit and ready to go."

But his squad have another big date before then.

Gorman has called all of his squad together on May 9 and 10 when he will tell them all who is staying and who is going next season.

He will also give each player an assessment of their performance this season.

Gorman has promised to come back even stronger next season after taking his team to the brink of the play-offs this season.

He said: "We've done great this season and I'm really proud of my boys. I've only been here for four months and I think we've had a very good season. We haven't made the play-offs this time but we've gone from 17th when I took over to eighth.

"I'm proud to be manager of this team and I think we're going places."

Defender Gus Uhlenbeek is also confident Blues will make it second time lucky after their disappointment this year. He says Wanderers let themselves down this year and is hoping that he will still be around to be part of it next year.

He said: "We got on top of the table and we let ourselves down around Christmas and Easter. We've dropped points we should not have done and we need to become consistent next season.

"If we can cut out the errors we can be up there. I fancy being here again next season. We gel together as a group and if the manager can keep everyone together it will be good season.

"We want to give the supporters what they deserve.

"The manager has said he wants to keep me and hopefully we can have a deal. I've enjoyed it here."

Blues will begin their pre-season matches with a glamour game against newly-crowned Premiership champions Chelsea.

Jose Mourinho's champions will visit Adams Park in a pre-season friendly on July 13.

Anyone who buys their season ticket before then will be guaranteed two tickets for the match which is expected to be a sell-out.