Willand Rovers FC in F.A. Cup run

Good luck to the Willand Rovers against Gosport Borough F.C.

My local village club is doing really well in the F.A. Cup this year, having made it through to the 4th qualifying round. They host Gosport at Silver Street this Saturday.

Physiotherapist Sarah has been helping the club for the last 18 months, screening and treating the players when injured. They are a great bunch, and remarkably polite for footballers.

I took the team through some preparation work earlier this week.

Captain Scott Rogers came to one of my speed training sessions in the summer and liked how we progressed through the warm ups to the speed. We have been trying to fit in training with the team, but due to the cup run, they have had busy mid-week schedules for the last 2 months.

The players all work full time: carpenters, tilers, teachers and office workers. My emphasis when preparing them is getting them to be mobile through the hips and groin, plus the thoracic spine (t spine). They have spent all day hunched over desks or a floor space, so they are very stiff when they come to play.

Footballers tend to suffer from hamstrings, groin and knee injuries. My job is to help these guys prepare properly so they can avoid the non-contact injuries. The lads took to the unusual (for them) exercises with relish on Tuesday night

Here is what we started with:

Good luck on Saturday. Up the Rovers! 

Kick off 3pm, at Silver Street. The Rovers should be on BBC spotlight tomorrow night at 6.30pm.