Back to work No positive tests as Robins get set for play-off campaign
CHELTENHAM Town are back in training for the League Two play-offs with manager Michael Duff saying “let’s finish the job.”
After players and staff were tested last Friday, the Robins were the only club of the four gearing up for the League Two play-offs to record no positive results.
Four members of staff or players tested positive at Colchester United, along with two at Exeter City and one member of staff at Northampton Town, physiotherapist Ignacio Herrando.
Cheltenham are due to play the Cobblers over two legs in the semi-finals, with the second leg at home.
The final is set to be played at Wembley before the end of June, with all playoff matches taking place behind closed doors.
No dates have yet been set - with a vote of clubs set to rubberstamp the end-of-season proposals on June 8.
Robins players and staff underwent their testing in the Whaddon Road car park on Friday and were back in training on Monday.
Duff said: “It has been very difficult to plan as we are still planning a little bit in the dark with unanswered questions in terms of dates and things.
“There has been a lot of meetings but this is where people have to step up to the mark.
“A lot of it now is how do you get players fit enough without breaking them to compete in a competition and play three games in a week with 14 or 15 training sessions?
“It is going to be hard, it is strategic and there is the mental side as well and we have been working hard on that.
“I think the mentality of the group is good and credit to the players, they have bought in to what we are trying to do.
“The tough bit is when do you really start ramping it up but you might break five or six players in the meantime, but you don’t want to go into
“Unfortunately there is no magic recipe and after the event you might say ‘Exeter did it really well because they did it like that’ or ‘Northampton did it really well because they went a completely different way’
“No one knows what the magical formula is so we’ll be doing it as professionally as we can.
“We have good, educated people with knowledge of the game and their area of expertise and we will be putting it all together and hopefully coming up with the best, fittest team that is mentally ready to go.
“Hopefully we can finish the job that will be the strapline for the season now - finish the job.”
Cheltenham’s five loan players will be available for the play-offs, with injured goalkeeper Scott Flinders the only player ruled out.
New father Alfie May and expectant dad Ben Tozer were there, along with Reuben Reid, whose wife has been ill.
Duff said there is no pressure on the players to train or play if they are not happy.
“We don’t want players coming in with doubt in their mind. If they have doubt in their mind they are not going to perform to their full potential so that is no good for anyone.
“There will be no judgment or no prejudice in terms of ‘I’m not sure because of X reason’ - I am absolutely fine and have no worries with that.
“This is a unique situation. I don’t think people are not going to come in because they can’t be bothered because of the prize at the end of the rainbow.
“No player is under any pressure from anyone within the club as far as I am concerned.
“But closer and closer we get, the players are on board now.
They want to finish the job now. We it undercooked.