Robins return for pre-season training
With only 15 professionals contracted to the club, two of whom, John Finnigan and Josh Low, are on the transfer list, Allen is putting the emphasis on injury prevention as the Robins warm-up for their return to Coca-Cola League Two.
Ahead of his first full season in charge, Allen gathered his players together at their Seasons training base after each of them had been weighed following the summer break.
He asked the new first year scholars to introduce themselves and welcomed new signings David Hutton and Justin Richards, as well as trialist Ben Smith.
The entire squad, including first and second year scholars, broke into three groups to complete three 30-minute circuits of core stability work, football fitness and football technique with coaches John Schofield and John Brough and senior sports therapist Ian Weston.
Allen said: "People might expect it to be an absolute beasting, running up and down hills and doing cross-countries to get everyone fit again.
"But with the amount of players we have, the number one we have laid out is injury prevention.
"There will be plenty of stretching and they will have ice baths. There will be a lot of work in the pool, which is low impact on their joints because there are a lot of games and keeping everyone fit is our number one priority."
Defender Michael Townsend returned 9lb lighter and goalkeeper Scott Brown shed 6lb ahead of his first pre-season as number one.
Diminutive winger Hutton has added some bulk through an intensive programme of weight training.
Allen said: "They have all come back in very good shape, which I expected.
"Scott Brown has come back well under and he has obviously worked hard.
"Michael Townsend is also way down on his weight and we saw in the last few months of last season what a good player he is.
"Now he has lost more weight and we will be working on other areas of his game to improve him further.
"Everyone is back looking good and nobody is outrageously over-weight."
Comment on this story