Macauley Southam-Hales will know more about Bristol Rovers' upcoming opponents, Stockport County, than almost anyone else and will be looking to use it to the Gas' advantage on Saturday.
The Pirates are out in southern Spain in preparation for the start of the 2025/26 Sky Bet League Two season and will conclude their tour against the Hatters at the Pinatar Arena. The Gas started their pre-season schedule with a 2-1 victory over Chippenham Town and will face Bath City, Yeovil Town, Coventry City and Oxford United once they return to England.
However, all the attention will be focused on how Rovers can get the better of their Sky Bet League One opponents, with the Pirates having an expert in how they operate within the camp.
Southam-Hales departed Stockport in the summer and became the Gas' third summer signing, moving to BS7 on a two-year contract. The right-back played 119 times for the Hatters in all competitions across five seasons, gaining promotion from the National League to the third tier and is excited to come up against his former employers.
“I had great times there,” he said. “I’ll be looking to do one over on them this weekend, but I can’t speak highly enough of them. They’re a great club with great fans, and I’m looking forward to meeting the Gasheads this weekend.
“It was good to see the lads and the staff, but I’m looking forward to coming against them this weekend and hopefully getting one over on them.
“They are obviously a great team. They are well drilled. We’ve got an inside on the camp with me being here, so I know about them and how they play, but hopefully, we come out on top and get the win.”
Rovers flew out to southern Spain two days after they triumphed over Chippenham and have been put through their paces by Head Coach Darrell Clarke and his coaching team. The heat has increased the intensity, with players working on every part of their game in an attempt to make the new season a successful one.
Southam-Hales has been delighted with the training camp so far and confessed that he is already looking forward to Rovers' season opener against Harrogate Town.
“It’s obviously hot,” said the right-back. “We’ve been really well drilled; there are great facilities here. We’ve been getting great work in and are really putting our stamp on how we are going to do things this year.
“We should be used to the double sessions by now, to be fair. Pre-season is meant to be hard, and it puts you in good stead moving forward, and I’m obviously looking forward to the first game of the season.”
As much as warm-weather camps abroad are vital for preparations on the pitch, the time away also allows players and staff to get to know each other so they can build relationships.
On Wednesday, Clarke led his side to a mud bath, where every player got involved. Southam-Hales emphasised the importance of building bonds off the pitch and stated he has quickly settled into the group.
“We had good fun yesterday in the mud bath, and something different like that always helps people gel,” he said. “The group has been brilliant with me since I first came in, and getting to know them all has been really good.”
