Harry Arter says he’s relishing the gruelling pre-season schedule after adding another 60 minutes in the 2-1 win over Portsmouth.
“I am enjoying the hard work purely because I know that by the end of it, I will be in the best physical condition that I can be in,” Arter said.
“I know that in the long term, the best thing is to get your work in as early as you can and ultimately that’s what pre-seasons all about”
Arter played a typically dominating role in the victory over our south coast rivals, with goals from Lys Mousset and Benik Afobe securing a second pre-season 2-1 win.
“Pre-season is about working as hard as you can to get fit, but we were pleased to get the win,” Arter told afcbTV after the game. “You want to try and build momentum with wins and you can never get bored of winning.”
Arter was impressed with his team-mate’s quick desire to recapture the lead just two minutes after Portsmouth’s equaliser: “They were great finishes - clinical from Lys and Benik. When we conceded the goal, our ruthlessness was good around their box, to get back in front and keep hold of it.
With an hour of hard work under his belt, Arter gave us an insight into the taxing pre-season schedule: “It was physically tough today. It’s not only getting used to playing again, it’s more the build up to the game and the physical outputs that we have put in this week.
“The manager challenges us physically. It’s very demanding, and rightly so at this stage of pre-season.”
With just 19 days left until the opener against West Brom, Arter looked towards the fixture.
“We still have a lot more hard work to put in with a few more games,” he said. “I’m certain every player will be ready for the start of the season and
"I’m sure the manager is pleased with how hard we have been working.”
