Paul Hurst looking forward to Shrewsbury Town's Portugal trip
Paul Hurst’s playing memories of pre-season trips aren’t the fondest – so the Town boss is relishing a chance to take his charges to Portugal.
Hurst will take his Shrewsbury squad to Portugal on Sunday for a week’s work of warm-weather coaching.
Former Rotherham United playing stalwart Hurst’s 15-year Millers career spanned the second, third and fourth tiers of English football.
The boss and No.2 Chris Doig have warned Town players not to look forward to a week of luxury, but hard work, food, sleep and more hard work.
The Town chief was not calling on his own playing experience when deciding on Shrewsbury’s European destination of choice.
Rotherham’s pre-season warm-ups were very much an English affair.
Indeed he only left the shores once on club business as a player, where Rotherham made the short trip to the Isle of Wight.
But Rotherham’s trip across the Solent was not memorable for Hurst in any way at all. In fact, it’s the opposite of what he hopes Town’s training camp in Portugal will bring.
“It will be different and it’s a different experience for myself,” said Hurst.
“The only place I went was the Isle of Wight, a tournament over there, and it wasn’t a particularly enjoyable experience.
“It was very quiet and, on a personal level, I picked up an injury, which was rare for me in pre-season, so missed the game.
“It just wasn’t a great experience and that’s the only time I’ve been away for any length of time, so it is different.
“We’re conscious of the heat, of course, and while we’re out there, that’s something we’ll have to monitor.
“But at the same time it is a great chance for us to get together as a group, really get to know each other, because at the minute, from coming in last Friday, as you can imagine, first day, new building, people still doing little bits of work around it, it’s been very hectic.
“I think when we’re in Portugal, there will be none of that.
“It’s just work together, probably realistically, train, rest, train, rest, train, eat, sleep, that’s pretty much all we’ll be doing, so I’m really looking forward to that.”
Town plan to play a friendly against British opposition at the end of the week.
