DEFENSIVE rock Aarran Racine will enjoy his summer chill-out on a beach alongside defensive pal Charlie Clough, but the new Forest Green captain is determined to hit the ground running when the team start pre-season training on June 29.

The former Southampton defender penned a two-year contract at the New Lawn this week and is looking to the new season with renewed optimism under boss Mark Cooper.

Racine said: “Returning on June 29 is a bit earlier than we would normally comeback, but I think it’s fair and the new gaffer wants to get his tactics sorted and get it right, which is obviously important.”

And life certainly is not a beach for Racine during his break from football.

He added: “You tick over in the summer and stay fit, and you use that as an extra boost before pre-season.”

Stroud News and Journal:

Football League teams courted his signature this month, but the long-term ambition of chairman Dale Vince and the appointment of Cooper made it a no-brainer.

Racine said: "My ambition matches the club which is to get promotion to the Football League.

“I want to get back in the league, as a personal ambition, and I know the club are doing what they can on and off the pitch, so I think it’s a good match.

"We had a decent season this year but in the end we were just not consistent enough.

“I’m looking forward to playing under Mark and seeing how we are going to set-up when we get back into pre-season training."

Racine admitted the Wembley defeat against Grimsby Town was a bitter pill to swallow, but believes it will make the team stronger as they strive for automatic promotion.

He added: “ I’m just about over the Wembley disappointment and it was a learning curve . It was a great achievement, but next year we want to get automatic and not go to Wembley.”