Skipper Tozer awaiting a new arrival - but is keen

BEN Tozer and his wife are expecting their second baby, which was due on Sunday, writes Jon Palmer.

The reassuring news is that he lives in Daventry, just up the road from former club Northampton Town, where he is due to play for Cheltenham Town in tonight’s play-off semi-final first leg.

In a strange twist of fate, his first born son Hugo arrived shortly after Cheltenham’s 3-1 victory at Sixfields in September 2018.

“My wife is doing well, always staying active and that’s great for her body and mind,” Tozer said.

“I am grateful that it’ll almost be a home game for me on Thursday because it’s 20 minutes from my house and we are hoping to have a home birth.

“It’s all hypothetical, but if I am away at the time, I am sure she’ll make the calls necessary and we’ll make a judgement call, but I am sure the gaffer has all the contingency plans in place.”

When it was first announced that clubs involved in the play-offs could return to training from the start of June, Tozer expressed some concerns about his family situation.

But he now feels reassured that the environment is safe and he has been gearing up for the season-defining matches along with his team mates.

“There was one point where we were all being told to stay inside, so when the decision was made for us to come back it was a bit of a shock,” he said.

“But since we’ve been back it’s all been fine and it’s never been in question because my wife would want me to be helping us finish the job, which has been 12 months’ hard work.

“I didn’t want that to become a ‘what if ’ moment.”

Tozer said he was grateful to be back at work after three months away from his team mates.

“I’d been to the supermarket countless times and everyone was doing the right things, but being back in training was great, seeing the familiar faces and being back among the banter,” he said.

“My wife even said she could tell how much I’d missed it and maybe you don’t always realise how much you miss the company of all the lads.”

Cheltenham’s play-off fate is now likely to rest on their mentality, according to Tozer, who was part of the Northampton side that defeated the Robins over two legs in the 2012/13 semifinals.

“We’ve had a great mentality all season and it’s almost as if we were never away, with everyone working their socks off,” he said.

“That’s non-negotiable anyway and expected, but the football side has been looking sharp and this does now feel like a knockout tournament, but it’s nothing we are not prepared for.

“It’s a unique situation, but it’s great to be back playing and part of it.

“Many lads are at clubs who have no clue when they’ll be kicking a ball next, so it’s great we have that opportunity to try and get promoted.

“I actually said to some of the lads, Amazon should have recorded all the preparations for each team in the playoffs, followed the finalists to Wembley and released it all as a documentary because it’d certainly make a fascinating watch.”

Tozer was a popular figure during his time at Northampton, who Cheltenham have taken four points from this season.

“I loved my time there, but I feel since I’ve moved away, I have grown as a person and a player,” he said.