Our players have been continuing their intensive training programme ahead of tomorrow evening’s pre-season clash against Naxxar Lions (kick-off 20:45 local time).
Today, the squad who have made the trip to Malta were involved in an aerobic fitness session, which included road running across the Mediterranean island.
Chairman John Radford also joined our players as they climbed several steep hills in temperatures approaching 29°C.
As a reward for their hard work, boss Paul Cox has cancelled tonight’s scheduled training session at the Melita Sports Complex to allow for some extra recovery time.
Defender James Jennings said: “This is the hardest pre-season I have ever taken part in.
“I think as you get older it gets easier because you become mentally stronger, but it’s good to be here in Malta and be a part of it with the boys.”
He added: “I missed the last month of the season so I’m trying to come back as fit as I can. When we were out running, a few of the lads couldn’t catch up with me!”
Youngster Ryan Tafazolli said: “It’s been the best [pre-season trip] that I’ve been on. All the new lads have gelled straight away [into the squad].
“We’ve done a lot of running and I don’t think that I’ve been as fit as this in my life. We’ve worked hard and also had some fun, so the game tomorrow should cap off an excellent trip.
“The weather should be hot when we get back to England, as we approach the summer and I think training in this climate and heat will do us good.”
For those supporters who haven’t travelled to Malta, Martin Shaw and Nigel Pinnick will provide exclusive full-match commentary on StagsPlayer from 7.35pm tomorrow night.
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