Calvin Andrew is looking forward to returning for pre-season next week, as preparations for the 2018/19 campaign go up a notch.
After a 60 games season in 2017/18, of which Andrew featured 40 times for Dale, he admits the end of season break came at the right time and is feeling rejuvenated and ready to take on a new League One journey.
“We had a lot of games last season, and with the pressure of where we were in the table, it almost makes you more tired because you’re mentally drained as well as physically drained. It was a great time to have a break and recoup, and now I’m ready to go again,” said Andrew.
“Tenerife – we’re going out there again in a couple of weeks - is no walk in the park, but there’s some enjoyment in it as well. I’ve been a professional for a number of years now and you’ve got to take pride in being able to achieve what the manager asks of you.”
After Dale left it late to secure their League One status last season, Andrew doesn’t want a repeat of that this time around.
“This season, we’ve got to start better than we did last year, which is something we all know.
“Nobody wants to be in that type of position, and that has got to set a fire for all the players, me included, to do better. We should be achieving more than we did last season with the types of players that we’ve got here, so it’s exciting to be preparing to come back in for the start of a new season.
“The way we finished last season has made us excited to come back in and to do better than we did last season. It has brought everyone closer together - we really needed togetherness to achieve what we did last season and to stay up, so we’re all really looking forward to getting back in and start working.”
Watch the full interview on iFollow.