A great chance for the squad to bond
MATT Prestridge believes the benefits of Middlesbrough’s trip to Portugal are clear to see as the players look sharper day by day.
In his combined role of coaching and sports science, Prestridge has a heavy influence in making sure that the players are conditioned as best as possible for the start of the new season. Having worked with Wilder since his time at Northampton Town, that’s an easier task for Prestridge because of the understanding between the pair of exactly how intense the style of play they look for is.
The trip to Portugal comes after three weeks of training at Rockliffe and two friendlies, with the club spending a week out here. They’ve played a training match with Sheffield Wednesday, while their camp culminated last night with a friendly against Portuguese top-tier side Braga in Lagos.
In an interview with the club website, Prestridge said of the trip: “It’s been brilliant so far and it’s always really good for the players to get away and live in each other’s pockets.
“The staff can get to know everyone a little bit better as well. We’ve been here a few months now, but it’s nice to have a proper trip with everyone.
“The most important thing is obviously the work though, and we can just do a higher volume of work here, from a tactical point of view, technical and physical.
“It’s been really good. We got more minutes into the legs of the players on Tuesday - ramped it up a bit more - and we’re really happy and really enjoying being out here.”
While out in Portugal temperatures have hit as high as 35 degrees celsius as the country experiences an extreme heat wave. It’s made the conditions demanding on the players, and while they have to be sensible with it, the sports scientist expert believes the training over here will serve them well heading into the new season.
“For the players, it’s obviously important that we keep progressing the work and the levels are ramped up as we go along,” he said.
“We’ve had three really good weeks at Rockliffe and now we’ve been able to come out here and work hard in the heat. Then upping the minutes they get on the pitch, it’s perfect really and holds the players in good stead going into the season.
“The heat is a perk, rather than a hindrance. Obviously, we’re sensible with it so we train early on and then we have a session late in the afternoon as well.
“I know it’s lovely back home at the minute, but it’s always a little perk at this time of year to come out to the guaranteed weather and it just adds that bit of a harder stress for the players.
“A lot of planning and preparation goes into everything we do. The facilities are excellent and we’ll leave having played two games while out here, so it’s been a really positive trip and the attitude now from all the staff and players is to keep driving that forward and ramping it up heading into the new season.”
Prestridge arrived at the club with Chris Wilder back in November of last year. He and Alan Knill are the only two coaching staff members that the Boro boss insists on bringing with him to a club, with the onus on working with existing staff as well.
Boro have this summer upgraded the goalkeeper coaching department by adding Alan Fettis, and Prestridge feels the club are now in a really strong position in terms of their backroom team.
He added: “We’re really lucky now in terms of having a really good group of staff from an expertise point of view and also personality point.
“From the supporters’ point of view, we’re often in the background and they’re not always privy to that, but I think supporters would be happy to know the level of staff we’re working with at this football club day to day. It’s good to come on a trip like this and get to know the staff better and Chris, myself and Alan [Knill] are delighted to be at this football club.”