Kentish Express Ashford & District
Roberts: It’s not right to talk contracts
Gillingham loan guy Jordan Roberts isn’t thinking too far ahead.
The longer football stays in lockdown the more complex things are going to become. Many players like Roberts, on loan from Ipswich, will be out of contract at the end of June, leaving a problem as to what happens if the season is extended beyond that time. Loan arrangements would also need to be extended.
Right now though, there is only one thing the forward is thinking about.
He said: “I have had no discussions with anyone from Ipswich or Gillingham, in terms of what will happen with the contract, but we are staying in contact in terms of what to do fitness wise.
“With the contract side of things, it is not about that right now. Now is not the time.
“There are going to be a lot of question marks on certain topics. There will be a lot of players like me who will be out of contract in the summer and left in the lurch and it will be at a time when clubs are struggling financially.
“I am just looking to get back as soon as possible, to finish off the season.
“We have to adapt and whenever we get the call to go back in, everyone has to be ready and hopefully that will be sooner rather than later.” Roberts is back in Ipswich during the lockdown, with just his dog for company. But he’s keeping fit for whenever football does resume.
He said: “I tend to stay more active now, in a way. I haven’t been sat down watching the television too much.
“When I would come back in from training at the club I felt like I had earned the right to sit down but now you have to do a little bit more to stay on top of things.
“The isolation ban could get lifted in a couple of weeks and we need to be ready to go back. It is important everyone is staying as professional as possible and so when you are ready to go back you give yourself the best opportunity to be as fit as possible.”
If it’s not keeping fit or walking the dog, Roberts has found plenty of things to keep himself busy, whether that’s by doing a bit of DIY or chatting to his niece, who is getting her own personal PE sessions from her uncle. He said: “I have had some days where I have thought, ‘it’s another day, what am I going to do?’
“But I have always managed to find something to do.
“Every day I think how much things gets taken for granted. Now you realise how much it means to people, not just football, but everyday jobs that people do. Maybe this is a sign that we should just be grateful for what we have.”
Roberts, 26, joined from Ipswich to try and get some game-time and he found it, making 10 appearances for the Gills since signing in January. Hesaid:“Iwantedtogoto Gillingham and hit the ground running, get my head down and play games, that was the main thing for me, not worrying about anything on the contract side.
“The main objective was to play games, have an impact and get myself going again. I have done that and I can then look at other things towards the end of the season and see what is on the table for me.”