Craig Hinton is expecting a tough fight ahead - if he is to earn himself a place in the Rovers first team this season.

The defender faces competition from Steve Elliott, Danny Coles and Byron Anthony for two of four centre back slots.

Craig played in a major role in last season's FA Cup heroics, and he's determined to do all he can to feature in similar successes over 2008/09.

"I'm feeling good to be honest," Craig told bristolrovers.co.uk, "Pre-season has gone well so far, touch wood, and it's just a case of getting back into the swing of things again.

"It takes a bit longer than just pre-season to reach peak fitness, but once the first few league games come around we'll be there.

"We'll probably be 90 to 95 per cent there by the time we play Carlisle, but pre-season is not as competitive as the league fixtures and it's from there on in when the business starts."

The defensive positions have been fiercely contested over recent years, and Craig is expecting the same again this season.

"It's been a tough couple of seasons really, but it's good having competition as it keeps people on their toes," he said, "Everyone is striving to play and I'm no different, that's the whole point in playing football. Nobody wants to train week-in week-out and never play on a Saturday."

A winning start would be a welcome boost, with Craig eyeing up a profitable campaign over the coming months.

"Hopefully we can improve on last year and push forward," he said, "That is what we are striving for. Away from home we have been solid, and if we combine that with better home form than we can only push forward.

"It's important we try and keep winning in pre-season, and then take that into the first few matches. A winning mentality is healthy, and that's what we want to give ourselves as the season gets underway."