Lack of pre-season is no excuse for ex-Gunner as he targets Town first team spot.
Bramall wants to become a regular at Kenilworth Road. Cohen Bramall, a recent Luton signing, refused to use his lack of pre-season as an excuse as he aims to establish himself as a first-team regular this season.
The former Arsenal trainee, who has also played for Birmingham, Colchester, Lincoln, and Rotherham United, was released by Portsmouth in June after his short-term contract at Fratton Park expired, leaving him without a club for the offseason.
With no new employers coming forward, while the rest of the footballing fraternity resumed training in July, Bramall had to find his own means to stay fit.
He achieved that before being signed by the Hatters when Alfie Doughty left for Millwall, joining on the eve of the opening night’s 1-0 triumph over AFC Wimbledon.
Starting far behind the rest of his new team-mates in terms of fitness, Bramall has had to work hard to improve that aspect while also carefully playing games, as he played the first half of the Carabao Cup defeat at Coventry City and then made his league debut when brought on in the second period at Bradford City, setting up Gideon Kodua’s late consolation in a 2-1 loss.
As he continued to be put through his paces at the Brache, Bramall was dipped in and out of the side, starting the 1-0 victory over Wigan Athletic and lasting 56 minutes before being benched against Cardiff City and Burton Albion to avoid picking up an injury that would limit his involvement for the Hatters, who already lack left-footed options at wingback with Joe Johnson out.
He did, however, start the Vertu Trophy group stage game against Barnet before the international break and offered additional indication of just how vital a player he could be for the Hatters, setting up Jerry Yates’ goal with a wonderfully executed through pass and then opening his own account in truly stunning fashion, thumping a free kick in off the bar from just over 20 yards out.
Bramall also increased his time on the pitch, playing 73 minutes, and is now looking to move forward.
When asked how difficult it has been playing catch-up, he said: “It happened in 2019 when I left Arsenal and went to Colchester and I signed, didn’t play a game, and went straight into a league game, that was the last time.
This time, I didn’t have a pre-season; I was just trying to keep fit. You can do as many five-kilometer runs and jogging sessions as you want, but when it comes to a real game, you can’t match that fitness, the short, sharp things.
Read more on Straightwinfortoday.com
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.