Precision Goalkeeping and Bristol City stopper Frank Fielding is quite prepared to sacrifice time with his family if it means winning promotion at the end of this season.
Fielding and his team-mates have been on the road since last Thursday and are not scheduled to return home until after tomorrow night’s League One fixture against Doncaster Rovers in South Yorkshire.
This is not the first occasion that City’s players have spent several successive nights away from family and friends this season. But Fielding admits it will all be worthwhile if the club achieves a top-two finish and automatic promotion to the Championship in May.
“I’d do anything now and go through weeks of not seeing them (my family) if it means getting promoted,” admitted the former Derby and Blackburn stopper.
He added: “We will have the summer together, so it doesn’t really matter now. Whatever it takes, we will do it.
“Because we have been so successful in the cups, there has been a backlog of fixtures and the games are coming thick and fast. But we are not fussed about that and we are starting to see the horizon now.”
City may be seven points clear of third-placed Swindon Town, but Fielding is taking nothing for granted and is refusing to look too far ahead.
With 15 games still to play, he warned: “If you look too far ahead, it can be a dangerous game. I’m the kind of person who cannot look too far ahead and I always take it one game at a time.
“I know it’s boring and people are probably fed up hearing it, but we have to keep our feet on the ground. The gaffer won’t let us get carried away and, if it has to be boring and one game at a time, then so be it.
“Sorry if this is too boring, but we will be happy, the manager will be happy and all of the fans will be happy if we get promoted.”
Having suffered a surprise 3-2 defeat at Colchester United on Saturday, their second such setback in three games, the Robins are required to bounce back at Doncaster.
Fielding reasoned: “Different stages of the season throw up different situations and we were always going to have setbacks. We had one against Sheffield United and we bounced back straight away. Of course there will be setbacks from time to time and, when that happens, it’s all about how you recover.”
An ever-present fixture in City’s starting line-up this season, Fielding has put a difficult first season at Ashton Gate behind him.
Left out in the cold by previous head coach Sean O’Driscoll and forced to play second fiddle to Elliott Parish and Simon Moore for long periods, Fielding’s Ashton Gate future appeared uncertain.
But he has responded well, winning back his place and retaining it with a series of outstanding performances this term.
He recalled: “It was difficult last season, but I never stopped believing in myself. I’m the same person I was back then and I do things the same way. I train the same and try to do everything else the same.
“If you are a footballer, you are going to go through bad times – it’s just a situation you cannot avoid. Even the best footballers in the world go through bad times. You just have to grit your teeth, get through it the best you can and be as positive as you can be.
“I’m a massive believer in karma and, without the bad times, I wouldn’t be enjoying the good times now. I’m just very grateful things have worked out the way they have for me. This is probably one of the most enjoyable periods of my career.”
The Precision Goalkeeping stable includes the likes of Kasper Schmeichel, Kieren Westwood, Frank Fielding, David Forde, Darren Randolph, Brian Jensen, Robert Olejnik, Ian McLoughlin, Trevor Carson and Republic of Ireland goalkeeping coach and former international Alan Kelly.
Nottingham based Precision also has official partnerships with McDonalds, Vauxhall, the Ryman League, the Irish Football Association and Football Association of Wales.
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For further information on Precision Goalkeeping visit – precisiontraining.uk.com
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