FC Halifax Town: Skipper Brown praises club’s approach to player welfare during coronavirus lockdown

Captain Matty Brown has praised FC Halifax Town’s approach to the well-being of their players during the coronavirus crisis.
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With the National League on an indefinite suspension, there is no sign of any quick return to action.  
The Town squad have all been given fitness programmes to follow during the game’s enforced break, as well as being sent clips to study on upcoming opponents and from the season so far.

“Every Monday morning the physio has sent a programme over, a home gym workout, running sessions that can be done on a field and an alternative like bike, rowing machine or a cross trainer exercises so you can break it up and you’re running each day,” said Brown, speaking before the club announced their staff furlough on Wednesday.

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“We’ve done them every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and sent the evidence in to the gaffer and show him exactly what we’ve been doing, proving we’re keeping on top of our fitness.

Actions from FC Halifax Town v Maidenhead, at The Shay. Pictured is Matty BrownActions from FC Halifax Town v Maidenhead, at The Shay. Pictured is Matty Brown
Actions from FC Halifax Town v Maidenhead, at The Shay. Pictured is Matty Brown

“It’s been good because it’s kept us all generally fit. If the season is to get going again, we’re probably going to need a couple of weeks to get up to match fitness, but we’ll have that base fitness.

“To be fair to the gaffer, Milly (Chris Millington) and the physio, they’ve put together a good fitness regime that’s not boring, it’s quite interesting to do and it keeps your mind different.

“That repetitive boredom where you can sometimes just be doing the same old, same old isn’t the case.

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“No-one’s going to say they’re enjoying the isolation but in terms of getting through it in the best way possible, challenging your body and mind, the way the staff have set it up for us has probably been as good as they possibly can.

“I’d hate to think they’d have said ‘do your own thing’ or ‘down tools’. I think you’d have found a lot of mental health issues starting to creep in having too much time on your hands.

“Some people probably wouldn’t even think of the knock-on effects it can have with certain individuals in the game.

“But people found the game in the first place by stress relief or finding an out from problems at home or mental health issues.

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“Sometimes football can be a distraction, and that can be your vice if you are struggling to take your mind off things and have something different in your day-to-day life.

“I’ve played with lads who’ve had those issues over the years and when they suddenly stop playing football, as in careers, finishing, they struggle again.

“I’m not saying any of our lads are struggling mental health-wise but it can have that effect on lads who haven’t got that stimulus.

“Even though not playing now isn’t a permanent thing, it has been a good period of time now and it doesn’t look like it’s coming out of it any time soon.

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“So for those lads who do need a bit of escape with the football, that’s where the staff have come in to help us and given us a really good training programme.

“We’ve kept in constant contact, they’ve been there for us all said ‘if any of you are struggling, we’re only at the other end of a phone’.

“Just little things like that can go a long way. I’ve always said about Halifax that it’s a family club, and it’s always had a great dressing room.

“The gaffer and Milly have only been part of it for a year but fair play to them, because they’ve bought straight into that and that’s probably why everything’s gone so smoothly since they came in, because they’re good people.

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“If you’re not a good person, you don’t really fit into this club, on and off the field. We’ve seen comings and goings as examples of that.

“But we’ve all grouped together and we’ve all been there for each other.

“We’ve tried to keep the banter going in the group chat and get each other through it as much as we can.

“We’ve made the best out of a bad situation so no matter how long this continues for, we’ve got each other to help each other through it.”

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Brown says the analysis of the season so far and potential opponents to come emphasise the thorough approach the club has taken during the lockdown.

“There’s been clips of the teams we’ve got left to play this season, each week there’s been two different teams, their strengths and weaknesses and what we might be facing,” he said.

“Maybe we might see something the gaffer and Milly don’t, or we might want to talk about something they’ve spotted, it’s there so that we’re well prepared.

“They’ve also been sending things like the goals conceded this season, goals scored, good things, bad things, little things to reflect on and help keep your mind fresh.

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“It’s been a long time since the Ebbsfleet game and your mind’s as much a part of your performance as your body is.

“Keeping yourself fresh with these things, they’re not massive percentage-wise, but these one or two per cent things do make a difference in the end.

“A lot of teams are doing the same sort of things physically but is everyone doing the same sort of stuff mentally?

“They’re little things where the gaffer and Milly have got really good ways about them where they’ll look outside the box.

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“They’re not your stereotypical ‘do your training, prepare for games and that’s that’, they’re always looking for little differences on how they can improve people, get the most out of different personalities.

“Some people might need a bit of a rollocking, some people might need an arm round the shoulder, that’s what they’re both really good at.

“They adjust to that, their man-management skills are really good and I think at a time like this, when it’s a worldwide crisis, there’s no place for being stand-offish.

“You’ve got to have some compassion, and the pair of them have got that in abundance.”

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