THE devil is in the detail for Phil Parkinson, as his players will soon find out.

Though today’s pre-season opener against FC Helsingor will be little more than a glorified training session, there are signs that preparation for future games will be much more comprehensive.

Famed for his meticulous approach during his Bradford City days, the Wanderers boss will be making sure his players are completely prepared for anything League One can throw at them.

If that means a midweek drive down to Gillingham to watch Saturday’s opponents in person, so be it. As the saying goes, fail to be prepared…

“Once the season starts I always look at the opposition closely and it’s 80 per cent us, 20 per cent them in the build-up,” he told The Bolton News at the club’s Swedish training camp.

“Detail is absolutely crucial. The dividing lines between pretty much any game in England is tight, whether it’s in the Premier League or the Conference.

“You don’t get games where you just turn up and think you’ll have too much quality for the opposition and you’ll win it easily.

“Games are separated on detail, motivation of the team and organisation, little bits of knowledge that you can give the players is crucial.

“When I went on the pitch as a player I liked to think I’d be prepared physically but also tactically as well, and that tactical aspect was knowing about the man I was coming up against and how the opposition would be lining up.”

The Wanderers boss has kept a tight ship on this tour. Fines are threatened to those late for meals – though none have needed to be enforced so far – a strict curfew is in place for players in the evenings and, so far, there has been a complete alcohol ban.

Training sessions have been compartmentalised, defenders, midfielders and attackers split into groups and, for the first time in a long while, players are working on set-piece routines and corners.

Parkinson won’t be expecting miracles at the Helsingor Stadium this afternoon but he is asking his side to play at the same intensity they will in League One.

A few clues have also emerged about the shape of the side he will put out in Denmark.

Kaiyne Woolery doubled up with Dean Moxey on the left in the final tactical sessions on Friday, with Derik Osede and Tom Walker on the right. Both full-backs were asked to push on and over-lap.

Up front, Gary Madine was used as a target man for Zach Clough to run off, while Darren Pratley and Jay Spearing held the central midfield positions.

Early days it may be, but Parkinson looks like coming through on his promise to reintroduce wide men at Wanderers, not seen in a traditional sense since the days of Martin Petrov.

Getting players to take on board information has been a problem for successive regimes at the club but, again, the new manager is sticking to the practices which served him well in five years at his former club Bradford.

“Before each game we’ll have a defender’s meeting, or a back four meeting, showing the key strengths of the opponents,” he said.

“At some point we do have a team meeting but we do a lot of individual stuff or work with smaller groups, where I find you get a lot more focus. If you sit in a room of 20 players, 10 might think they won’t be in the team.

“Of course, it’s not just about what an opponent does, and we will work on giving the opposition manager a lot to think about too. But I think it’s important that you know what you are up against.”

Parkinson has been pleased at the players’ response this week in Scandinavia and is looking forward to seeing the fruits of their labour on the pitch today.

“Everything has gone well so far, the training has been good and the conduct of the lads has been very good around the hotel, as you’d expect,” he said.

“Having the opportunity for me and my staff to get to know the players for the full week has been important.

“The first few weeks of pre-season have a fitness element attached to everything, even the games. The football takes precedent as times goes on.

“We’ll look at a little bit of organisation for the game on Saturday but primarily it’s a fitness exercise to play at the intensity we want to play at once the season starts.

“I have to say, all the lads have responded well so far and we’ve enjoyed the week.”