Midfielder impressed with opening few weeks of pre-season
Keith Southern has done a few pre-seasons over his career and he believes the one he is experiencing with Town this summer is right up there with some of his best.
Town has been able to use the completely rebuilt and renewed grass surfaces at Canalside following 18 months of work, which has made training much easier according to the midfielder.
“The training ground is absolutely fantastic and a place that the Club and the fans should be very proud of,” said the former Blackpool man.
“When I first arrived, work was well underway and as a result we were based here, but training up at Storthes Hall, which meant we had to travel around wet and muddy. Everything is integrated now and it highlights how much the Club has progressed and is still progressing.”
The Terriers kicks of its Championship campaign at Nottingham Forest in just under three weeks and after plenty of hard running the friendlies are now underway.
“I think we are over the worst now in terms of the long distance, hard running,” he said. “We are now into the games, which are just as hard as you begin to build up your match sharpness. We are well on the way now and as the weeks continue the squad is looking ever sharper.
Talking about the squad’s trip to Spain, the midfielder said: “It was a very good trip and we got some hard training in. The Manager gave us a little bit of down time while we were out there to allow the new lads to get to know everybody. Everything went very well.”
“Adam (Hammill) was here last season, as was Vaughany (James Vaughan), so it is only really Patto (Martin Paterson), Steady (Jon Stead), Jake (Carroll) and Daniel (Carr) who are new to the group. Their transition into the squad has been straightforward and they have mixed well with the lads.”
A number of last season’s U21 squad members have been heavily involved with the First Team over the past few weeks and Keith has been impressed with the way they have handled themselves.
“It isn’t easy for the young lads to make the transition into the First Team; it can be tough because they are looking to impress at every opportunity,” he said. “When I was a young boy in the game I felt pressure because the senior lads would be watching over you and you would be frightened of making a mistake. On the whole they have done really well and impressed during our trip to Spain and on Saturday against Chesterfield.
“They need to continue progressing throughout the season and I am sure the Manager will blood them when he sees fit.”
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