BLISS IS ANFIELD

Covid-hit Shrews boss Steve: I didn’t realise how close to death I was. After spending 69 days out of 80 in bed... it’s brilliant to have this match

FA Cup: Tomorrow, 2pm STEVE COTTERILL is determined to enjoy Shrewsbury’s FA Cup tie at Liverpool tomorrow after being floored by Covid a year ago.

The League One side’s boss spent two spells in hospital, including intensive care, after testing positive on January 1 last year.

Cotterill, 57, was readmitted to hospital with Covid-pneumonia and then had long Covid.

The memories from his brush with death remain painful and emotional. His office still features some of the many cards he received and a picture of the Shrews’ squad wearing ‘Get well soon gaffer’ T-shirts.

But the experienced manager, who returned to the dugout in July, has battled back and heads to Anfield after five wins in eight games.

Cotterill reflected: “I didn’t realise how close to death I was until I came out of hospital. I had 69 days out of 80 in bed and I would class myself as someone who was fit and healthy when it happened to me.

“Touch wood and hopefully for everyone else we keep testing negative now.

“We have worked for an opportunity to play against one of the world’s biggest clubs.

“When they sing ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’, if that doesn’t get the hairs up on the back of your neck, nothing will.

“I don’t know if there are too many better draws that a club at our level would get in the FA Cup.

“It is going to be a full house against a brilliant team with a brilliant set of fans. It’s going to be an occasion our lads will never forget.”

The Omicron surge has pushed Covid back into everyone’s minds again. Australia’s tough stance over refusing entry to unvaccinated defending tennis champion Novak Djokovic has also been a huge talking point.

Cotterill added: “Well done Australia because they have shown great strength as a country. The fact Novak Djokovic is the best tennis player in the world doesn’t make any difference.”

And Cotterill reckons under pressure football bosses who are stressed out and run down by the busy fixture list are vulnerable to the virus. He said: “You don’t want to catch Covid and have a bad case because it will kill you.

“The non-believers in Covid and those who are unvaccinated, somewhere along the line you would like to try to convince them. Covid was probably flying around in our dressing room a year ago.

“And I think that is why lots of Premier League managers have gone down with it recently.

“They have had a lot of games and stress and when you are in this job, even if you have the best team, you will have stress about the next game or pressure to stay in the league.

“Our immunity is low at this time of year where we have played game after game.

“When you are tired and stressed, our immunities are not strong enough to deal with the variants as the virus mutates.

“Hopefully all the managers have had their vaccinations. If I had my vaccination back then, I don’t think it would have grabbed hold of me like it did.

“People talk about vaccinations being a nonsense, but the nonsense is not having it done.”