Lisburn Distillery's new boss Johnny Clapham has spoken of his delight at finally getting to meet his players face-to-face following a frustrating wait since being appointed to the position back on March 17.
The former Whites player, who replaced Stephen Hatfield, revealed in an interview on the club website that the past few months had been frustrating and that he was finally glad to meet the squad following a lifting of restrictions on training.
“I think the most frustrating part of it has not been able to meet the players face-to-face. I've spent time with phone calls and texts but not meeting them one to one to sell your vision has been difficult,” explained Clapham.
“It's all good speaking on the phone but to actually see players and look them in the eye, for me the communication side is more important than anything.
“So to get them in, not just for me to see them, but for them to see me in terms of how I work and who I am as a person is vitally important.”
As with a number of clubs, the Whites used the easing of restrictions on training to get back on the park, Clapham bringing his players in midweek to make his introduction.
“Tonight, for a first training session just being able to get out on the grass and hear the banter and just get a ball at their feet was very important,” he added.
“Being realistic though it's only a short term thing, we'll get in five or six sessions because really there's no goal, we've nothing to play for.
“You can't work on shape and there's no intensity in the sessions as you have to stick to the guidelines.
“But it's really important for us to see each other as much as we can then we'll have to wait for the next decision to be made for when we can plan for pre-season."
