NathanCollins
JAY Rodriguez may be a veteran of pre-season – but the Burnley striker admits it is always nice to get off the mark sooner rather than later. The Clarets frontman was on target against Oldham, as was 18-year-old Lewis Richardson, as Sean Dyche’s side triumphed 2-0 against the League Two side. After behind closed doors action at Barnfield it was the first public warm-up with preparations continuing at Blackpool tonight.
Jay Rodriguez said: “You always want to get off the mark as soon as you can. It’s all about what you do on the training field and hopefully that translates into the games. I’ve just got to keep getting myself into the right positions. I’ll keep working hard and I’ll be looking forward to every game.”
The friendlies, in front of supporters, are all part of what is a more ‘normal’ pre-season as coronavirus restrictions ease.
Jay Rodriguez said: “It was really nice to hear the fans. I always think it brings more to the game when the fans are in; it brings the tempo up and last season we missed it so much. Hopefully this year will be full of fans. We didn’t have too many weeks off last summer and then we were straight back into it. It was a difficult season with all the restrictions and everything else that was going on in the world. It was good to have a longer break to recharge the batteries and now we’re itching to get going. I feel refreshed.”
Those in attendance got a first look at new £12million defender Nathan Collins and Rodriguez has been impressed.
Jay Rodriguez said: “Nathan has done really well, he’s a great lad. He’s bedded in well straight away. You can see the qualities he has just from that 45 minutes, but we’ve seen it in training. He’s a strong lad and a great player. I’m looking forward to working with him. We’ve got some great lads here and we’re all working hard. The competition is always healthy and really good for us.”
