Fleetwood ace Paul Coutts says uncertainty is the worst part for players staying at home

Fleetwood Town captain Paul Coutts has lifted the lid on what it’s like to be a footballer during the coronavirus pandemic.
Paul Coutts says the enforced break could prove a blessing for Fleetwood TownPaul Coutts says the enforced break could prove a blessing for Fleetwood Town
Paul Coutts says the enforced break could prove a blessing for Fleetwood Town
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That said, any return to the professional game is still up in the air, with both the EFL and Premier League seasons on an indefinite suspension.

For Coutts, it’s a chance to take advantage of the time off.

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Speaking to The Gazette, he said: “It’s hard because we don’t know when we’re returning. Usually, over the summer, you’re aiming to be in decent shape by the start of pre-season.

“You’ll have a little rest, you’ll start building up and then, in the two to three weeks before you go back, you’re ready to start training.

“But because we don’t know when we’re returning, you don’t know when to shut down and have a rest and when you’ll need to be ready to peak again. That’s the hardest thing.

“I haven’t been minding it. I’ve just been out running, and I’ve got a spin bike and some weights in the garage. I’ve just been keeping reasonably fit.

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“If it’s going to be a couple of months, then resume and roll straight into next season, you’re going to need to have your rest now.

“It’s always a tough one keeping yourself going when you are given a prolonged break.

But with the way our season was going, there is a carrot there for us once the season resumes ... if the season resumes.

“There’s a big incentive for us to make sure we’re ready to hit the ground running straight away, try to win this mini-league of 10 games and try to get promoted.”

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No-one connected to football wanted to see the season delayed but it came at a particularly inopportune time for Coutts and his Highbury team-mates.

A run of one defeat in their last 18 league matches had seen Joey Barton’s players climb to fifth in the League One table.

They were two points adrift of second-placed Rotherham United with nine games of the season remaining.

While the time off might have halted Town’s momentum, Coutts does not see any reason why they cannot pick up where they left off should football finally resume.

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He said: “We were on a great run but maybe the break has come at a good time for us.

“That run is in the bank for us now. It didn’t end, we tuck that one away and start a new one when we resume hopefully.

“It would have been tough maintaining that form right the way through to the end of the season, especially with the amount of games we’ve played from January pretty much right through.

“It was probably going to catch up with us any minute as we were going along!

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“So it might be a blessing for us, the enforced break, if the league resumes that is.

“We started the season well, probably hit a bit of a dip in December and January.

“After the window shut and the gaffer and management staff recruited who they wanted to, the standards have gone up a level.

“There’s a lot of experience in the ranks and these lads are used to playing games season on season.

“It’s just like any other time when you have your summer holiday and you come back ready to work again.”