Part two of our Mark Beck interview
In the second part of our interview with striker Mark Beck he spoke first about keeping himself fit ahead of the return to pre-season training at the end of this month.
“The good thing for me with being away with Scotland is that it has kept my fitness levels right up,” he said. “I had a few days off at the end of the season but I’ve had to keep on top of things all the way since then.
“I’m probably as fit as I was when we were still training at Carlisle, so that can only be a good thing. Getting a fair bit of match time has helped even more and it’s just a case of making sure I keep that up now.”
As for what is to come, he told us: “I suppose it feels a little bit different this time round because I know what to expect.
“Mind you, the youth team always join in with the first team anyway, so you know it’s going to be difficult. It’s a case of getting on with it and making sure you take as much from it as you can.”
“I think I definitely feel more confident about what I’m doing and about what I bring to the squad this time round,” he added. “I was just coming out of the youth team a year ago and I had no idea how it was going to go.
“I felt confident that I’d manage back then, because you have to be, but I’ve said before that I had no idea it would turn out to be the kind of year I’ve just had.”
Strikers are judged on goals, of course, and to come away with six to his name after his first full season as a professional can only bode well for the future.
“Getting the goals for the first team has been massive for me,” he admitted. “That’s what the game is all about for a striker and it’s good that I’ve done it.
“The volley at Yeovil will always stand out but scoring against Ipswich is another ... in fact, it doesn’t matter when it is or who it’s against. Scoring a goal at any time will always be the target.”
Next up to help to focus the mind is fixture release day on Wednesday 19 June.
“I always look forward to the fixtures coming out,” he said. “Once you see the list, and the dates of the games you’re due to play, it starts to really focus things in.
“The gaffer has said a couple of times that it’s a clean slate for everybody and that means we should all be pushing for a starting place. It’s a young squad at the moment and it’s up to us to take the opportunity.
“It has been good to see some of the more experienced players sign their contracts to stay at the club. The experience the likes of Danny [Livesey] and Paul [Thirlwell] bring into the dressing is something we all learn from.”
“I’m just really looking forward to the end of June now,” he concluded. “It feels like it’s been a good while since we’ve been together so it will be nice to get back.
“We’re all determined to improve on what happened on the pitch last season and I think that’s our main driving force.
“We know that wasn’t good enough and we all want to be back up and fighting at the right end of things. Hopefully that’s how it will go.”
Click HERE to go to part one of this interview.