Training went up another level today for Oxford United as they prepare for their Sky Bet League 1 play-off semi-final against Portsmouth.
The latest batch of testing again gave the U’s a clean bill of health and following all guidelines they were able to train in larger groups and include certain contact levels, meaning much more ball work than earlier in the week.
Head of Sports Science Chris Short told us
“The fitness levels are very good; they are a really dedicated group and have been excellent all the way through Lockdown. They kept their levels up throughout and fitness wise we are in good shape. There has been a lot of hard work this week but a lot of it has been with the ball and today was good to have that first training with contact- no slide tackles or silly challenges, nothing like that, but being able to work in groups and go through a few of the drills that we have used all season.
“It has been an enjoyable first week back. We had played a lot of games this season: I’ve been in football a long time now and having the break has really fired my enthusiasm and I think the lads feel the same and can't wait to get playing again now.”