How United used to train: The 1980s
Albiston was almost always among the front-runners, not least because he kept active during the close season.
He ran “two or three times a week;’ when many team-mates were relaxing on a beach.
”Some lads just wanted to put their feet up for four or five weeks, and it always took them longer to get back into shape;’ he said. “We’d reconvene at The Cliff and do intensive running for about 10 days before heading off to a training camp somewhere in Europe. During those camps we’d start to incorporate a lot more ball-work and sometimes have morning, afternoon and evening sessions.
”It wasn’t hard to get motivated. Once the fixtures came out, I couldn’t wait to get started again and everyone was working towards the same aim: being fit for the first day of the season.“
This article first appeared in Inside United, our official monthly magazine.
