CHELMSFORD Hockey Club's men's player-coach Dillet Gilkes has warned his players not to overindulge in the festive break so they come back fit and ready.
Gilkes was involved as his side overcame Felixstowe 7-2 in their final East Premier A match before the winter break and expects his players to be professionals during their time off.
"I told the guys, of course to enjoy the Christmas break but also to be sensible because you don't want to be starting over and it's not pre-season in January," said Gilkes.
"I didn't welcome the break because we'll have to rebuild momentum, but I guess it's the same for all teams. We just have to be more prepared than others.
"I stressed and emphasised to the guys that we've got Wapping after the winter break so, not to put too much pressure on the guys, but that game is a big one.
"They're one of the few teams that will be challenging for the top spot so I wanted to make sure that they knew it was going to be an important game."
The Trinidad and Tobago international is also hoping to use an indoor facility over the next month to keep fitness levels up.
"I'm going to have a chat with the manager because with the weather conditions in England you can never guarantee the pitches won't be frozen, so we're going to see if we can have an indoor space, so we can still keep physically fit," revealed Gilkes.
"Even though we don't get out on the hockey pitch we'd still be fit enough to restart the season.
"I told the guys on Saturday we'd probably start a few days after the New Year so it's not too much of a holiday or rest."
The win on Saturday was their third in a row and leaves them just three points behind top place with all to play for, but Gilkes states his team cannot afford to lose ground and is content with their progress this season.
"The teams we've played in the past few weeks, if you look at the table, are all near the bottom but you need to win those games," he said.
"I don't think any of the top teams can afford to slip up against those teams at the bottom.
"I wouldn't say we've been better than expected, there's definitely room for improvement.
"The performances have been there for quite some time and you always want do better in the games that we've lost but we've done reasonably well. "
