Bradford City boss won't let freezing weather hit training plans

Mark Hughes and the squad were in the middle of a work-out on the pitch yesterday when the news filtered through that they would not be boarding the bus south afterwards.

It came as no surprise that the early inspection at Gillingham’s Priestfield Stadium confirmed the playing surface was frozen and had no chance of being fit for today’s lunchtime clash.

Ironically, the game would have likely gone ahead if it had been in West Yorkshire - but the impact from Gillingham playing their FA Cup replay against Dagenham on Thursday night for TV purposes meant that it was never going to recover quickly enough in the sub-zero temperatures that are currently gripping the country.

The Gills ground staff may have raced to put the covers back on the pitch as soon as the final whistle had sounded. But with no undersoil heating, they were always fighting a losing battle.

Another example for Hughes, then, of the difference between life in League Two and what he has previously been used to.

But the City boss was not complaining - he has learned very quickly how to adapt to the challenges that the weather can cause to the best preparations.

In fact, Hughes was introduced to that on his first day at Apperley Bridge last February when the spell of wet weather meant he could not get on the grass to take training.

“The first training session we did was on the 4g because the other pitches weren’t available,” he said.

“But we’re fortunate here that we’ve got the option of the artificial surface.

“We were able to train on the grass pitches on Wednesday last week. It was just clear enough to do that.

“It was at that point where it was getting a little bit firm under foot but it took a stud so we were fine.

“That obviously wasn’t an option for us on Friday but we’ve got the benefit of having the 4g available to us. That’s a real plus.

“I know lots of teams at this level haven’t got that option. When it’s a frosty day and they can’t use their one training pitch then they are ringing round trying to find other facilities and that’s not easy.

“We’re fortunate in that regard and we make the best of it. It is what it is and a lot of clubs are in a similar situation.

“We’re not in the depths of winter yet. This is just the start, so I suppose we’ve got to get used to it.”

City's trip to Gillingham was called off yesterday morning (Image: Twitter)

City were able to practice at the stadium - “just because it was covered” - and Hughes has no qualms about switching things round.

“As long as you’ve got an area where you can work, which we have had for the most part, then it shouldn’t be a problem. There’s always something you can do.

“It hasn’t impacted on what I’ve wanted to do on any given day. You just make the best of what you’ve got.

“You can always get something out of a training session.

“You just make sure that even if you can’t get out, which hasn’t been the case yet, you’re always able to do some work. Even if, God forbid, we couldn’t use the 4g because it’s waterlogged, which it has been in the past.

“Mind you they are doing a lot of work (with flood defence in the area) so that shouldn’t happen in the future.

“But if that’s the case and that’s out, you can always do work in meetings and go through things tactically as well. You never waste a training day, that wouldn’t be the right thing to do.”

With so many games called off in the lower divisions, the odds were always stacked against City’s longest trip of the season getting the go-ahead.

Hughes and the players knew that but had to prepare properly as if nothing was in doubt.

The Bantams chief insisted any uncertainty over whether the game would be played was not allowed to affect the level of their training.

“The fixture is in the calendar and you prepare to play it on that date,” he said, when asked if the likelihood of the postponement was in the back of his mind during the sessions.

“You just do everything that you would do leading into that game.

“If it falls by the wayside, so be it and you move on to the next one.

“It’s an uncontrollable, we can’t do anything about the weather. You just concentrate on what you can control and organise and make sure you’re ready to go.

“We’d much prefer to play on a Sunday rather than having a long journey further in the season on a Tuesday night. But ultimately that’s out of our hands.”