Uphill Castle FC manager Askins say it was ‘brilliant’ to see the team again

Uphill meet every Thursday at Drove Road Rec between 6.30-7.30pm to train and Askins says to meet up with his “really close bunch” of players is great for all involved with the club.

“It has been the main thing to see everyone again,” he said. “You don’t realise how much you miss something really until it’s not there. You take it for granted a little bit.

“We normally have around a month off over the second half of May and June and we see people socially.

“We have not been able to see people socially. We did a bit on Zoom and things like that and we had quizzes to keep together.

“Not everyone was involved with that. It’s been brilliant to meet up again and mentally and socially to see the lads again and for them to see each other.”

In order to keep with the guidelines set by the Government, Askins has ensured the safety and welfare of the players by making sure the 12 players are separated into different groups with one coach per six players.

He added: “We’ve been lucky in the two weeks so far, we’ve had exactly the same amount of players that have done normal types of training.

“We are never sure who is going to turn up, we have managed to keep those groups of six together, that’s been really good. It’s something you’ve got to think about before you get there.

“There is a lot more planning going into sessions, make sure all the bibs are washed and cleaned every week. Making sure the balls are wiped down as best as you can. It’s all about individual work because there can’t be contact work.

“It’s all about going back to basics type of stuff which you do as a kid really when you are playing. But we have had at least that social interaction with each other we weren’t getting before.

“The boys are fine with it and are itching to get going properly, but they are fine with what they’re doing at the moment just so they can see each other each week.”