With the end of a second lockdown, comes the re-start of the 20/21 season and the return of grassroots football. Barnes Stormers FC haven't played a competitive match of football, much like their opponents, in nearly 5 weeks and the whole squad are chomping at the bit to get back out there and play.
With such a long time away from football and then such a short time between the permitted resumption of football and the club's first game, the gaffer admitted he was initially worried; "I was worried seeing that football would be allowed on the Wednesday and then our first match would be the Sunday. It's not much time for the lads to get back into kicking a ball but fortunately we've been able to run two training sessions in between then and Sunday's match".
The four weeks has done some players the world of good, allowing them to recover from injuries without missing many games. One such player making his return after a lengthy time on injury list is Billy Brice. "Bricey broke his ankle a little while ago now and tried to make a comeback maybe a little too early, these 4 weeks of lockdown have really helped him recover fully without risking playing on a recently healed ankle and I look forward to welcoming him back to our matchday squad. He's a big character and I have no doubt he will be looking to come back with a top performance" said manager Tom Jackson.
The gaffer is also happy with the shape of the rest of his squad, "After seeing the boys train this week, they're looking just as fit as they were - Abdul looks like he's come back even fitter and sharper after this lockdown infact!".
There is a buzz in the air as the club sees a return to cup football, "Our last game before lockdown was a 1-0 win to progress to this second round and I can't think of a better way to re-commence our 20/21 campaign than to follow it up with a win in the second round of the cup!" said Jacko.
The second round of the cup is unprecedented territory for Barnes who are in just their second season of existence, and everyone at the club is eager to put in a great performance and hoping for the team to secure that second round win!
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