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‘Season should be completed,’ says Jacobson

Wycombe Wanderers’ star Joe Jacobson believes football authorities should adopt a flexible approach to finish this season in the “proper manner on the pitch” after the schedule was put on hold due to the Coronavirus.

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Left-back Jacobson, 33, has enjoyed an excellent campaign so far, scoring a hat-trick in one League One game and making his 500th career appearance.

“Obviously the world around football is more important than the game itself but for some people it is their life - the owners and people who work at clubs,” said Jacobson. “But every player I know wants the season to get finished on the pitch once the time is right.

“At the moment it’s difficult to see when we’re getting back to normality,” he said. “We’re supposed to return to training on Monday but I’d be surprised if that happened.”

Jacobson is “completely against” the season being null and void and said any such decision “would be ridiculous”.

Wycombe recently slipped out of the automatic promotion places and currently lie in eighth position in League One, but with only three points separating them from second-placed Rotherham United. They also have games in hand on the majority of teams above them.

Jacobson says: “The problems to end it now far outweigh waiting a few months. It’s only fair to carry on. Failing that they’ll have to find a way to finish season fairly as teams for teams contesting titles, promotion and relegation. I think decision should be made jointly between FA and clubs.

“I’m sure if you asked clubs they’d all want to finish season and get income from games, even if played behind closed doors. I don’t know whose benefitting from stopping it.”

Until the action resumes, Jacobson has been following a dedicated fitness regime. He said: “All the boys have been given exercise routine by the coaches at Wycombe. The club are pretty good at staying on top of things and I’ve also had contact from the manager asking how I am. Fitness wise, it’s pretty similar to what we do over the summer. I do a few different runs plus my own work every day – strength and stretching. But everything is so up in the air at the moment as there is no confirmed date as to when we could start playing.”

Jacobson has been combining cardio work with resistance training. In terms of running, it’s no more than 30 minutes per day. It’s all match-specific. The longest is a 100m pitch run in sets with recovery. We know what areas we want to hit, distances, times and heart-rate as everyone has different abilities.

“I usually go outside for a run once a day plus do a home work-out on top of that. My wife and I are members of local gym, who are very good at putting online fitness classes twice a day. We do HIIT sessions in the house and I’ve got resistance bands for leg strength exercise. There’s always something you can do.”

But it’s not all about football for Jacobson. “I also enjoy cooking and am revising for some exams to qualifiy as  a financial planner, so I’ve been trying to use my time effectively,” he said. I’m keeping my brain stimulated. Every morning after breakfast I do an hour of revision and then go out to exercise. Afterwards I try relax by watching Master Chef and Great British Menu. I also go into garden to do keep-ups but my wife isn’t the best at that.”

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