Almost 350 supporters attended an open training session at Kenilworth Road this morning and were given a great insight as to how Nathan Jones and the team go about their daily work at The Brache.
Junior Diamond season ticket holders were given free entry along with an accompany adult, with everyone else in the attendance of 334 paying £1 for entry – raising a terrific £240 for club charity of the year Transitions UK.
Nathan met fans young – very young in one case! – and old in the Main Stand enclosure, posing for pictures and signing autographs while his squad went through their warm-up exercises.
Then the gaffer took the mic to explain exactly what drills and games the players would be going through with the ball as a “reintegration day” having been given yesterday off following Saturday’s tough encounter at Mansfield.
The session closed with the whole squad spending 20 minutes mixing with the supporters, signing shirts, autograph books, programmes and posters – as well as smiling for selfies – to earn praise from many parents attending with their children.
Afterwards, the manager said: “Our supporters are excellent and really important to us, so this is a chance for us to give a little bit back to the fans in terms of giving them an insight and a closeness to the players that they don’t normally get, and it’s vital.
“All clubs do it – I know that – but our fans are so important to us. They are magnificent and we try to give them as much as we possibly can on the pitch, but if we can give them little extras as well, it’s vital.
“I wanted to tell them why we do things and give them the full package. It’s probably one of our least complicated days today, because it’s just about the players getting back in and getting a sweat on with some touches of the ball.
“There was very little tactical going on today, but we are usually tactical for two days and then physical for two, so this is one of those physical days.
“It was a very sharp session – really sharp – after the weekend’s excursions because it was a tough game up at Mansfield. We had to keep going right to the end to get the point and it was an excellent point in the end.
“We’d have liked our first half performance to have been better, but in terms of everything I was delighted to come away with something.”