Morecambe players get used to solo training programmes

Morecambe midfielder Alex Kenyon has lifted the lid on what it’s like to be a footballer training amid the coronavirus crisis.
Morecambe's Alex Kenyon     Picture: Getty ImagesMorecambe's Alex Kenyon     Picture: Getty Images
Morecambe's Alex Kenyon Picture: Getty Images

With the sport in shutdown amid the global pandemic, players have had to train away from their respective clubs.

That work also has to be done in line with the government’s approach to so-called ‘social distancing’.

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Fitness programmes had been sent out for players to follow, some of which – as Kenyon acknowledged – had been done collectively until the latest advice.

“Before they announced the lockdown there were some of us meeting up and doing fitness work on a local pitch,” he said. “I was going out with Luke Conlan, Zak Mills and Jamie Devitt and we were all being pushed along by each other.

“Now they have put out the rule saying you can only go out once a day running with someone who lives with you.

“It’s so much easier from a motivational side of things when you’re doing it with someone else.

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“We all have the motivation to go training but the competition element was something we could all enjoy.”

It’s understood the plan had been for Morecambe’s players to meet up again on April 6.

However, with the government’s three-week lockdown taking the Shrimps beyond that date – and the season now suspended indefinitely – their potential return is another problem still to be solved.

Football, by its nature, is a sport where team-mates work and train together, spending hours in each other’s company.

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However, given the government’s latest medical directive, the training that can be carried out now has to largely be fulfilled on an individual basis.

Kenyon said: “No-one knows when the season is going to end so yes, we’re trying to keep fit but what are we keeping fit for, what date are we aiming to play?

“Everyone is doing their own stuff but how long are we doing it for?

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