A title race is a marathon, not a sprint. That’s why Shelbourne and Derry City should know it hasn’t even started yet. All they’ve done so far is manoeuvre themselves into position, because the serious work lies ahead.
Matches resume tonight after the poxy mid-season break and it’s a dangerous time for teams. We’ve all been staring at the TV for the last few weeks, watching the Euros unfold but it’s football overload and we need a slap in the face to get going again. READ MORE: Dundalk's Robbie Mahon ready for fresh start after overcoming injury battle READ MORE: Sligo Rovers update as fight to keep star goalkeeper reaches pivotal weekend Players are no different.
It’s important they don’t slip into a false sense of security by completely switching off for a week or two. During the break, you’re surrounded by family and friends and there’s a lot happening, be it weddings, little holidays or just nights out on the hipster beers. Players get dragged along by it, and it can be a relentless mind bend.
As a pro footballer, the best break you’ll ever get is out training with your team-mates because when you leave the training ground, it’s a different world. Every hour, every day, every week there’s distractions from the task at hand and that’s why I hate the two-week League of Ireland break. It threatens to derail so much because even a 5% drop in levels can be the difference between winning and losing a title.
I ran a marathon before, much to the detrim.