James Brown eager to get back to action
DROGHEDA United defender James Brown says he’s still holding out hope that the League of Ireland season will resume in June even if it means playing behind closed doors.
The 21-year-old right-back and his teammates have already been kicking their heels for more than seven weeks because of the coronavirus pandemic and a return to action can’t come soon enough as far as he’s concerned.
Sporting bodies up and down the country are anxiously waiting to hear if the ban on collective training, which is due to come to an end next Tuesday, will be extended further, but as things stand there is a possibility the Drogheda squad could meet up seven days from now - for the first time since the second week in March.
That scenario would be a great source of relief for Brown as it would represent a significant step towards a resumption of the league.
‘I think there’s a strong chance that we’ll be back on the date that’s set - June 19th - because if you break that down it’s another eight weeks away.
‘But it depends if clubs will decide to play behind closed doors. If they don’t then we’re looking at missing the whole season and that’s a shame because we were only getting going and had just hit UCD for five.
‘I’ve played friendlies and Under-19s football in front of small crowds, but it wouldn’t be the same without fans and United Park is all about the atmosphere.’
Quite where the funds would come from to pay players if games went ahead behind closed doors isn’t clear, but Brown said he had no complaints about Drogheda United becoming the first club to publicly state that wages were being deferred for the foreseeable future.
‘You have to understand that Drogheda are a small club and the chairman Conor Hoey bends over backwards for us,’ he insisted.
‘It’s not nice not getting paid, but Drogheda rely heavily on their gate receipts and we can’t get paid if no one can come through the gates. We have to be realistic and a lot of us are working and getting the Covid payments anyway.’
While agreeing that there are others much less fortunate than First Division footballers, Brown acknowledged that the shutdown has been difficult to deal with and the PFAI have expressed their concern about players’ mental health.
‘You have to take the positives out of it and realise that there are others worse off than ourselves, but the lockdown has been a bit of a nightmare because we were just starting to get into the season,’ he pointed out.
‘The lads are trying to stay in touch and they seem okay to me when I’m talking to them. I’m okay with it and trying to keep as busy as possible, but on your own it is tough.
‘I’m lucky that I’m living at home in Blanchardstown and have a back garden. I have gym equipment and I’m getting a few bits done.
‘It’s hard relying on FaceTiming the lads and texting lads off the team and when you’re together four times a week it’s definitely a step back.’
Naturally, Brown’s work as a personal trainer at Insanity Fitness in Clondalkin has pretty much dried up because gyms have been closed, and filling in all the free time hasn’t been easy.
‘I keep in touch with my clients online and I’m sending them out programmes to follow, but my head is gone, especially with nothing on the TV either.
‘I have a few balls in the house and there’s a park across the road within the 2km radius, but you miss the team for the banter. A lot of them don’t live close to me. The closest is Stephen Meaney in Finglas, but he can’t come out this far.
‘Hugh Douglas and Chris Lyons are both in Bray and I think they’re doing a bit together.’
The problem, Brown pointed out, is that players have no definite target to work towards.
‘[Strength and conditioning coach] Conor Tully was sharp and got a programme straight out to us when the lockdown started, although I’d have a fair idea what to do anyway,’ he said.
‘Hopefully they are all following it, but it’s tough motivating yourselves - especially when you don’t know what date you are back.
‘In pre-season I built myself up gradually knowing when the first game was coming, but now you don’t know if you are back in June or September and you don’t want to burn yourself out.’
Whenever competitive football does resume Brown knows he’ll face stiff competition for the starting place at rightback, with Luke Heeney, Jack Tuite and the aforementioned Douglas all capable of playing in his position.
‘That’s 100% right,’ he acknowledged, ‘but I enjoy that because it spurs me on and sometimes you need a kick up the backside to up your game. There’s competition all over the field and we look really strong this year.
‘There might be a bit of rustiness when we come back, but I’ll be able to run for ever. I am sick of running at this stage, but I might take up marathon running if this lockdown keeps going!’