WOODGATE CANNOT WAIT FOR BORO’S BATTLE TO RESTART

JONATHAN WOODGATE has insisted Middlesbrough will be ready for their battle to beat the drop after relegation rivals raised concerns over restarting the Championship.

The Boro boss (above) says his squad “can’t wait to be whacking footballs around again” and will abide by the decision to resume the league on June 20.

Barnsley wrote to the EFL chairman Rick Parry to propose relegation is scrapped if games are not completed.

Other clubs have expressed concern over the restart date but

Woodgate said: “Do we have long enough to prepare? It will have to be because the decision is made.

“We had eight weeks working at home, then a week here, and they have come back fit. I am looking forward to it. Safety is paramount, but I am looking forward to the first game against Swansea.

“We’ll go to full contact in training and it will be good to see the intensity back. But we have to be careful. We will still social distance.

“The players have been dying to get back. They had eight weeks of lockdown. They have been fantastic coming back to training and have enjoyed it. They had a hard lockdown period and couldn’t wait to whack footballs around again.”

However, Woodgate, whose side have had one positive test for Covid-19, does have concerns over players contracting the virus.

He added: “We have to be vigilant. I wonder what happens if three days before a game a player gets a positive – or three or four do – what then? I hope it doesn’t happen but at some stage it might.”

Boro’s remaining fixtures: Swansea (h), Stoke (a), Hull (a), QPR (h), Millwall (a), Bristol City (h), Reading (a), Cardiff (h) Sheff Wed (a).