Goalkeeper Coach Andy Marshall is pleased to be back at Sparrows Lane and is even happier with the shape his goalkeepers are in.
Upon the first team’s return to training Marshall spoke about life in lockdown for his goalkeepers and how the return to training is unique for the shot stoppers.
Speaking on Saturday morning he said: “This week the outfield players have hit the ground running on the first day. We’ve had to break the goalkeepers in easier though.
“If you go from not having any contact on the ground, as in diving and things, you run the risk of injury. The first few days has been an easy break in for them but this morning they will not find it too pleasant, it’ll be a tough session and next week will be hard for them as well.”
Last week, Jason Pearce explained how he had been keeping fit in lockdown, but this regime is different for the goalkeepers, as Andy Marshall explained.
“The outfield players naturally do a lot of running, whereas the goalkeepers don’t normally. Keepers do some shorter running and more weight training. It’s difficult in lockdown as they can’t get into a gym, so they’ve been doing some long-distance running.
“I look at them and they’ve come back in phenomenal shape. Dills [Dillon Phillips] is back and has lost a lot of weight, he looks a lot leaner. Ben [Amos] is, as Bows would call it, a machine. And young Ashley [Maynard-Brewer] is coming back from his injury and looking good as well.”
With the confirmation that the Championship season is set to recommence on the weekend of June 20th, Marshall explained the plan for the weeks ahead.
He said: “Now it’s a case of building it up, working harder at a higher intensity. We’ve got to get the crossing practice in, the distribution stuff and make sure they’re fit. We need to incorporate them into the outfield stuff, training with the first team players goes up another level.”
Article by Nick Emms