After months of uncertainty and unfamiliarity at Brighouse Town, football is finally returning to the Yorkshire payments stadium. A friendly on the 1st of August will be the first of six, in what will be a busy pre-season for Vill and his players.
The start of a new season means a return to training. And due to the pandemic, the squad have had a longer lay off, as well as having to adapt to the new norm when it comes to social distancing. Despite all the change, club captain Kurt Harris believes the lads have adapted well.
“Coming back and socially distanced training, obviously something that none of us have done, and the sessions have never had to be in that way, so thy were different but I think we’ve handled it quite well.”
With the first pre-season game quickly approaching, it brings along exciting opportunities for new players who are trying to make a name for themselves, and prove they belong in the starting 11.
This can be a tricky task for not just the manager, but also for the regular players who are trying to help accommodate new signings and hopeful trialists, whilst focusing on the result and total team performance.
“In terms of our point of view it’s just business as usual, just trying to get them to play how we want them to play, obviously I’ve been here for a few years now I know how Vill wants us to play, so it’s trying to get them to play that way. If they cannot do it for whatever reason, they won’t be here, so yeah it can be tough, but typically it’s alright.”
The intense training sessions will hopefully pay off come Saturday as Sheffield FC will be the first team in over four months to compete at Brighouse. The world’s oldest club will be making the 40-mile journey up the M1 to kick off pre-season.
Even though it is a friendly that does not mean that the squad aren’t looking to get a good result and start the season in a positive way. As Kurt told me, he has a level of professionalism when it comes to any game, friendly or not.
“You want to win every game so badly, but in terms of like the friendlies, you just want to win, work hard get through the game injury free and get fitter. I know they aren’t the be all and end all but yeah in terms of confidence it’s good to get the results, score goals and get clean sheets.”
The game might have an extra edge with Brighouse manager Vill Powell being a former player for Sheffield FC who I am sure would like to get another victory over his former team.
Nevertheless, it should be an exciting fixture. With new and old faces taking the pitch it is the start of what should be another thrilling and captivating season, which if even for 90 minutes will allow some familiarity back into our lives during these challenging times.
Saturday’s game against Sheffield FC is live from The Yorkshire Payments Stadium at 3pm. Unfortunately due to government guidelines, this will be a behind closed doors game but the game will be broadcast live on Brighouse Town Radio which our link is below and we will have updates on our Twitter feed. #OneTownOneTeam
