Aidy Boothroyd and the Northampton Town squad flew out to Croatia on Sunday for an intense seven days of pre-season training.
Boothroyd want the whole squad to be in peak physical condition for the start of season 2012/13, he wants them to go through a rigorous training regime of up to five sessions a day in the blistering heat of Croatia. He had the players up early on Monday and they had completed two sessions by 11.30 and plans were to have another session in the afternoon and evening.
This I believe is going to be the strongest Cobblers side I have seen for some time by the time these 6 weeks of pre-season training are over, we all know it’s a marathon not a sprint and a lot can be said for the right preparation come the tail end of the season when teams start to look fatigued and seem to go off the boil.
The players will already be feeling the pace i’m sure but you expect that they have 8 weeks off and the first few weeks are as intense as they come, but they will have been doing some light work during the off season just to stay in touch with light workouts etc. I just can’t wait until the pre-season friendlies finally start so that we can have get a view of the new look squad which will hopefully be fitter than they have been for some time.
Another two new additions to the squad this week and I must admit they are two exciting players with plenty of pace. Chris Hackett has penned a 2 year deal which will take effect from 1st August and joins us from Millwall, and Joe Widdowson has signed on a 2 year deal which will also come into effect on 1st August and joins from Rochdale after being released.
Hackett brings with him a wealth of experience and has been linked with a move to Sixfields since January, Boothroyd will finally be pleased to have got his man. He brings higher level experience to the team having played for Hearts, Millwall and spent time in League One on loan last season at Exeter City and Wycombe Wanderers. He is full of pace and with him on one wing and Demontagnac on the other we now have to natural wide men who will be able to deliver quality balls into the box for Bayo and Clive Platt who must be chomping at the bit to get started.
Widdowson joins from Rochdale after being released and it has been mooted that we beat Scunthorpe United to his signing. The defender will hopefully fit in well at left back as it has been a problem position for us for last few seasons, having made 34 appearances in league One last season he can’t be that bad and from what I can tell a lot of Rochdale fans are sorry to see the 23 year old leaving the club.
Two players also had their contracts mutually terminated in the past week Arron Davies and Byron Webster have left for pastures new. Davies has gone to Exeter City and Webster has rejoined that plastic cockney geezer Gary Johnson at Yeovil all the best to Webster on that move I feel he may need it.
That brings me on to Jake Robinson I believe that Jake can be a quality player for the club this coming season and am glad to see that he has come out fighting his corner after being told that he would not be in Aidy Boothroyd’s plans for next season. Fair play to Jake unlike the others he has come out and said that he is not going to give up on winning a place in the side and is ready to fight for a place in the team. He was made a lot of promises by our former manager and then was played out of position for many of the games when he first came to the club. He has goals in him I firmly believe that and I hope many of the doubters will get behind him this coming season and then hopefully we will reap the rewards and he can finally put the nightmare of last season behind him.
Up The Cobblers!!
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