PREMIER LEAGUE PREPARATIONS BEGIN

Malky Mackay's Cardiff City squad returned for pre-season training at the Vale Pavilion training base on Wednesday.

A new on-site gymnasium, training kit and staff members were on site to greet them, with the Barclays Premier League kick-off now just six short weeks away.

Week one of pre-season has been about gauging players' fitness levels and medical status.

Head of Performance Richard Collinge and Physiotherapists Sean Connelly & Adam Rattenberry and their support staff have been putting the lads through a number of concise tests to determine their conditioning and well-being ahead of next week's higher-octane fitness drills.

Friday morning saw the first-team squad take to the training pitches as one for the first time since the start of May. Head of Sports Science Martyn Pert took the sessions, which saw activation excercises followed by group running and low-level endurance. Lunch and rest followed before the tougher schedule begins in earnest on Monday.

Cardiff City PlayerPre-season updates will continue throughout the summer via the official website and