Craig Dawson says it feels good to be back fit and around the Wolves group for the start of pre-season out in Marbella.
The defender missed the final 12 matches of last season with a groin injury which was operated on, leading to his return in time for the new campaign. Now the 34-year-old is out in Marbella taking part in a pre-season training schedule which is a far cry from his early days with Rochdale, and having gone through a challenging summer, Dawson is relieved to be back involved, building towards the new Premier League campaign.
On recovering from injury
“It was obviously disappointing to pick up an injury, but it was good to get it fixed, to get sorted, and to feel fit and back on the training pitch, which is the main thing. I was just disappointed not to be able to play, in my career I’ve not really had any injuries to be honest, so I was disappointed to pick one up and it was tough watching the back end of the season. It’s nice to be back involved, back with the lads, and feeling fit.”
On playing through the pain barrier
“Throughout my career I’ve always played, injured or not, I’ve given everything for the team, and I did that towards the end, but it got to a point where we had to look a bit longer term and I needed the operation. It was a long operation, six or seven hours, so feeling fit again is nice. It’s nice to be back and involved with the lads.
“It wasn’t a normal off season, I was doing quite a lot of work to be ready, but it all went well over the summer, so I’m in a good position now. It’s massively important to switch off and have that little bit of time away. I managed that, we had a little bit of family time away which is important, and now it’s nice to be back.”
On losing his defensive partner
“It’s obviously sad that Max isn’t here, but it’s a great opportunity for him and I wish him the best of luck. He’s been great to play with the last couple of seasons, so I can only wish him the best of luck. Max is a good friend, so he spoke to me. It’s a great move for him, closer to home, so we wish him luck, but not too much when we play each other.
“It’s a strong group and it’s important for us all to step up and fill the hole that Max has left. Within the group, I’m sure there’s many players wanting to step up and obviously with a couple of signing already, and hopefully a couple more coming, there’s plenty of people to step up.”
On a warm weather camp in Marbella
“It’s great to get away and to use the facilities out here. It’s great for the group to be together, to spend some time together, and hopefully we can get a lot of work done and prepare well for the season.
“I’ll probably spend it [downtime] sleeping. Hopefully we can get some good work done on the training pitch and the gaffer is happy enough to give us a little break as well, that would be nice. If training goes well, hopefully the gaffer lets us have an afternoon on the golf course.”
On how pre-season has changed
“Football’s changed a lot since I started. Pre-seasons used to be full on boot camps, but now it’s a lot better. There’s a lot more sports science and they’re not quite as tough as they used to be, whether that’s experience or sports science has gone a little bit soft, I don’t know. Pre-season is something I enjoy doing. My early pre-seasons used to be running camps, but now it’s a lot better. I enjoy pre-season, it’s a good time to get ready and be fit.
“The additions look good already, so hopefully we can have some more and really give it a good push this season.”
