‘Polokwane City injury free thanks to shutdown’
Former Chippa United coach Clinton Larsen, who is now with relegation-threatened Polokwane City, says the lockdown has come as a blessing in disguise for his team.
Ahead of the nationwide lockdown, the Polokwanebased Absa Premiership side’s dressing room resembled a sick bay as six of Larsen’s key players were nursing injuries.
With some forced time off from football due to the Covid19 pandemic, the 49-year-old former player said his charges had now fully recovered, thanks to the break.
“Those five or six players that were injured have all now recovered but the sad part is that the type of training they are doing at home will not get them ready to be match fit come the league’s start.
“So, it’s a bittersweet situation, but we have got to be sensible how we introduce them and fast-track their fitness. I am just happy that their injuries are behind them.
“It’s just the case of match fitness now for those players.”
The former Bloemfontein Celtic mentor says his technical team have been in constant contact with players to try to motivate them to keep fit during this tough time.
He said they had opened up a group for the team on social media where players posted their training sessions and this helped to monitor the types of workouts the players were doing on a daily basis.
“It’s a very difficult period not just for young players but for any player.
“You get used to your daily routine of getting up going to training, going home, eating, resting and going back to training the next day. It’s a lifestyle and for it to be changed the way it has will affect any sportsman across the board.
“It’s not easy on your own and their circumstances are different as well. Some had yards in which to train, and even run. “Some don’t have that luxury,” he said.
“We have tried to tailormake and design individual programmes that can accommodate players who have more space and those who have very little.”
Before the lockdown the Rise and Shine were fighting to for survival in the PSL as they are 14th on the log, tied on 23 points with playoff candidates amaZulu and Baroka.