Time to pack a punch, says Bardsley
May 9 2009 by Paul Cunningham, The Journal
PHIL Bardsley has told his Sunderland team-mates to adopt the fighting spirit of his friend Tony Jeffries to avoid the knockout blow of relegation.
Light-heavyweight boxer, Olympic bronze medallist and lifelong Black Cats fan Jeffries was at the Academy of Light training ground this week mingling with the players.
Although the 24-year-old did not deliver a staged call to arms, Bardsley hopes his mere presence will be an inspiration at Bolton Wanderers today.
“Training is always good here, but it’s refreshing to hear another voice sometimes, get some fresh ideas about fitness and preparation, how other sportsmen train,” said Bardsley, one of the leaders in the Sunderland dressing room. “For the position we’re in as a club and what we need to get out of it, it was good listening to Jaffa talk about his desire, his will to win, because you need exactly the same to win football matches.
“He spoke to us and was brilliant and hopefully we can take all that on board.
“Boxing is the ultimate individual battle. Tony was saying the boxing ring is the loneliest place in the world, but there are times when a football pitch can be lonely, too. In boxing, if you make a mistake, you’re on your own and it can be very costly, but in football you’ve got 10 team-mates around you.
