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Ed Lewis writes

Posted Wednesday, August 1st 2018 @EdLewisBCFC

Johnson ready for season opener

Wednesday, August 1st 2018

Lee Johnson says he has been “delighted” with his side’s preparation ahead of the 2018/19 Sky Bet Championship season.

The new campaign kicks-off on Saturday (August 4^th, 3pm) and the City camp are fully focused ahead of Nottingham Forest’s visit to Ashton Gate, having been stretched physically and mentally throughout pre-season.

The head coach admits he has missed the adrenaline of competing for three points, and insists his players are ready for the next nine months.

“Pre-season has gone very well,” Johnson said. “I’ve been delighted with the players and their application throughout the summer.

“We have worked on a lot of things, hopefully the fans will see some improvement and changes in the way we play, while we are maintaining the things we do very, very well.”

Johnson with new recruits Hunt (left) and Watkins (right)

City have recruited seven new faces throughout the summer – Marley Watkins, Adam Webster, Jack Hunt, Andreas Weimann, Hakeeb Adelakun, Mo Eisa and Niki Mäenpää – and Johnson has been encouraged with the way they’ve adapted to life in BS3.

“The new signings have settled in really well, as personalities and the way they’ve played,” he continued.

“We’ve seen their quality and I can’t wait for the fans to see them in that high pressure environment, but it should be fun so let’s enjoy it.

“I am looking forward to the season. We’ve sold 15,000 season cards, which is massive, and hopefully our attendances and performances will continue to grow.”

Over 20,000 tickets have been sold for the season opener, making it the club's largest attendance for an opening day home fixture since the stadium redevelopment.

The encounter at Ashton Gate is a gold category match, with prices starting at £28 for adult members and tickets remain on general sale.