Oxford United’s star player, James Constable, says he’s itching to get back to prepare for next season.

United’s players report back for fitness tests this Friday and Saturday, and the following weekend, before pre-season training starts in earnest on July 6.

And the players will be using the club’s new training ground at Chesterton, near Bicester, for the first time.

Constable, who scooped two Blue Square Premier player-of-the-year awards despite Oxford failing to make the play-offs last season, says he’s excited at the prospects of the U’s doing well with the new signings manager Chris Wilder has brought in.

And his own signing from Shrewsbury, on a three-year contract, will make him feel more secure, he believes.

“The expectation is going to be there again, as it was when Lewis Haldane, Jamie Guy and I came on on loan last summer,” he said.

“People were saying the same things about us having a strong squad, but this year they have been nearly all permanent players, rather than loans and that makes a difference.

“It’s your club that you’re playing for and it’s nice to be secure, knowing I’m going to be here for three years.

“I’m dying to get back because it’s one of the biggest summers of expectancy I’ve had, with how I did last season.

“Now I’ve got to keep my standards. I’m desperate to do well.

“With the team Chris is building, hopefully we all can.”

Next season begins on Saturday, August 8 and the Blue Square fixtures are due to be released towards the end of next week.

The Conference said that the fixtures would be released on Friday, July 3, but chairman Brian Lee has cast doubt on that, saying they will come out “on or before July 3”.