Coming back after five weeks off, The Reds' pursuit to go one better in 2009/10 started this morning with half of the squad completing a basic fitness testing session at Santos Stadium. The remainder of the squad will undergo the same testing tomorrow before the full group comes together for the first time at Thebarton Oval on Thursday.

Vidmar has several slots to fill in his squad after the departures of such stalwarts as Paul Agostino, Diego, Ang Costanzo and Sasa Ognenovski.

The Reds' squad currently stands at 17, with Vidmar likely to add a further three of four players in order to finalise his group for the upcoming season.

He said: "We're still a little way to go but we've made certain steps moving forward with a couple of players that we're trying to sign.

"But with all negotiations, it takes a little bit of time."

While he waits to add to the squad, Vidmar is happy to focus on getting his players back into the groove.

He said: "Typically with pre season, you start fresh, feel fresh and are ready to go.

"This week will be nice and easy and then the following week we'll get into it, so we'll do a little bit of baseline testing just to see where they're at and then take it from there."

New signings, ex-Sydney FC defender Iain Fyfe and former Irish based attacking midfielder Adam Hughes have arrived in Adelaide for the start of pre season, while Michael Marrone, who was promoted from United's Youth squad, is another new permanent addition to the senior list.

Season five of the A-League sees the competition expand to ten teams with the inclusions of Gold Coast United and the North Queensland Fury, drawing the season out from 21 to 27 minor round fixtures. Both new clubs have compiled talented squads that boast a number of big names, and with the addition of the two new clubs, Vidmar is excited about the challenges that lie ahead for the 2009/10 campaign.

"It was a really tough season last year but we've had a little bit of a break and I got to spend a week with the Socceroos as well which was really good.

"Obviously it's going to be a more challenging season but it's one we're looking forward to," said Vidmar.