Cowdy's Column: Away day preparation is vital

The week of the Carlisle and Portsmouth away matches in mid-February resulted in more than 760 miles of travelling, while back-to-back March games at Plymouth and Wycombe reached 1,100 miles.

The club fully supports the manager and team in achieving the right results on the road and ensures overnight stays are in place with the necessary requirements.

Away from the first-team picture, the youth team continue to have a good season and have now reached the Lancashire FA Youth Cup final for the third time in four seasons. Ciaran Donnelly, John Murphy and the rest of the staff have done a fantastic job and will now face Bury in the final at Gigg Lane.

I’ve met several interested parties to discuss kit options from 2017/18 onwards in the past few months, including current suppliers Errea.

Having assessed the market and discussed plans in some detail, the club opted to remain with Errea for a further three seasons and extend a partnership that first started out in 2013.

Designs have already been signed off for next season’s training wear, while first-team kit options remain under discussion.

While on the subject of plans for the 2017/18 season, preparations are well underway for pre-season and a number of friendlies have already been confirmed with clubs. Announcements on those will be made in the next few months.

We’re now at the business end of the current season and the club has a number of ticket promotions in place for a couple of our remaining home fixtures.

Tickets for the match against Hartlepool on 25 March have been reduced to £5 for adults and £1 for juniors, while a draw is currently open for season ticket holders to sample pre-match hospitality at a specific game for free.

Another incentive for the match against Cheltenham Town in April will be announced in due course.