TONBRIDGE JUDDIANS

Tonbridge Juddians head coach Peter Dankert is happy for his players to train with other clubs to help their fitness. A number of TJs players live outside Kent so members of Dankert’s first-team squad have been training with Sussex sides including Haywards Heath and Worthing or with teams in London boroughs to avoid crossing into Tier 3 Kent.

“Covid has delayed training and with the Tier system and Kent being in Tier 3, we’ve not been able to train together,” said Dankert. “We’ve got players that live and work in London so they can’t cross Tiers to train with us.

“We trained with our Kent-based players last week and then the amateur sides came in to train alongside us to make sufficient numbers.

“The players have had strength and conditioning coaching guides to follow but I’ve told them that if their local club is training and it’s safe for them to go there to have a run and blow away the cobwebs then by all means they can do it.

“Clubs have got to be pro-active to keep their players fit and healthy as much as they can.”

TJs won promotion to National 1 as runners-up in a curtailed National 2 South campaign last season.

Covid has delayed rather than derailed their plans. With many clubs at the higher level operating with big budgets, Dankert knows the size of the task facing his squad. “We don’t have the buying power that a lot of the teams in the division have,” said Dankert. “There’s two levels, those that have it and those that have just enough. We’ll take every game in our stride when we do get to play.

“We’re based on a team that has played together for a number of years but we’re under no illusions next year, staying up is our main aim.

“We’ve got people who like to analyse games and things like that during this break. We’ve been able to look at our game plans but until we’re up and running we won’t know how useful that will be.

“We know that we’re going to have to compete up front. It’s going to be difficult - that’s for sure.”