Solly March says having two young children will help him avoid the temptations the rest of us struggle to succumb to at this time of year.
Albion’s next fixture at home to Brentford on Boxing Day doesn’t kick off until 8pm, which means avoiding temptation during the day.
“It will be a long day, waiting around, and trying not to eat the leftovers from Christmas day!” he said. “Fortunately, I’ve got two young kids now. My eldest is two-and-a-half so is starting to understand Christmas more. I’m sure it will be pretty full-on but there will come a time when you have to concentrate on the game against a side that have done well since they came up. They’re a threat going forward, so it will be a tough one for us.”
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The postponement of two of Albion’s last three games against Spurs and Manchester United has meant the December schedule is not as onerous as it was shaping up to be, and after Brentford Albion only make the relatively short tip to London to face Chelsea on 29 December.
“I’m sure we’ll be in on Christmas Day for training, but it will be nice not to then have to board a coach and stay in a hotel,” added March. “The Brentford kick-off is a strange one, and not something we’re used to on Boxing Day. It might mean that we’ll be training later on Christmas Day as a result.
“Whatever happens will obviously be for the benefit of the players in preparation for the game, but I’ll definitely be having a Christmas dinner. It will be a much smaller portion than everyone else though; I don’t want to go too hard and feel a bit heavy on matchday! I’m going to enjoy it, but I have to be careful too.”
March was back in the side for last Wednesday’s 1-0 defeat against Wolves, his seventh appearance of the season after he recovered from knee surgery sustained in the famous 1-0 win at Anfield last February.
“I’ve grown into the season so far,” he said. “I was out a long time, so it was always going to take time to get into my stride and have that confidence in my body again.
“At this time of year though, there is always going to be squad rotation due to fatigue, although hopefully not more injuries. There are going to be opportunities for everyone and it’s important to take those when they come along.
“I’m always in a much better place when I’ve got a run of games under my belt and that’s what I’ll be hoping to do. I want to get back to the form before my injury last season, which was the best of my career so far.”