SCOTT BAIN has said that Celtic’s Loughborough training camp is the perfect preparation for the new season as the Scottish Champions go for 10IAR. Speaking to the Official Celtic website, Bain has said that the change of scenery is the ideal location for the squad to be put through their paces as the gruelling season approaches.
Celtic will spend a week in Leicestershire before departing for France to compete in glamour friendlies versus Nice, Lyon and PSG. The season begins with the visit of Hamilton to Celtic Park which will likely be without supporters. Bain believes that the trip is the perfect preparation before returning to action, four months after playing their last fixture against St Mirren in March.
“It’s been good so far. It’s a great facility here and you can tell they take a lot of pride in what they do down here. It’s very professional, the pitches are immaculate and the gym is exactly what we need, so it’s a good trip for the boys.
“It’s always good for the brain to get a change of scenery, it freshens up the mind. It lets the boys get together and spend quality-time together for some team bonding before the season starts.
“The coronavirus means we’re all in our own rooms rather than sharing like we’d usually do during pre-season. I normally share with Nir and we have a good relationship so it’s always good fun. It’s good to have someone on the same page as you because you don’t want to share with a team-mate who stays up late when you like an early night!
“Training in the rain in the UK takes away that additional challenge of the heat. We’d obviously like it to be a little bit drier and sunnier, though.
“We’re not losing out by training in a cooler environment. Compared to the heat abroad, it’s maybe a little easier for the boys to get through the double sessions, but the sessions are a little longer because there isn’t that intense heat playing a role in fatigue.”
Bain is the only first team goalkeeper at the club with Doohan and Hazard the other two keepers on the trip. However, as much as Celtic are linked with a return for Fraser Forster, Bain is the club’s No.1 as it stands. One thing is for certain, though, the club need to invest in the goalkeeping department following the departure of Craig Gordon and the end of Forster’s loan deal.
