FC St. Pauli

The training ground had remained closed to the public for more than two years due to the coronavirus pandemic, but finally the gates were open again on Saturday afternoon. And the conditions were perfect when the Boys in Brown got the ball rolling at 4pm local time on a manicured pitch, bright sunshine and a light Hamburg breeze making for a pleasant 23 degrees.

New recruits Manolis Saliakas, Carlo Boukhalfa and David Nemeth were taken aback when they took to the pitch to the applause of the 200 or so supporters in attendance. "The reception from the fans was really nice, it put you straight in the mood for training,” said midfielder Boukhalfa.

Timo Schultz did not have a full complement of players at his disposal, though the absentees will gradually resume training over the next few days and weeks. Among them are Jackson Irvine, Nikola Vasilj, Igor Matanović, Daniel-Kofi Kyereh, Guido Burgstaller and Connor Metcalfe, who are either away on international duty or have been granted an extended holiday.

After the new signings plus the entire coaching team, including new goalkeeper coach Marco Knoop, had posed for the photographers and TV crews in attendances, it was time for Schultz to get the opening training session underway. The workout began with a few laps of the pitch under the watchful eye of performance coach Christoph Hainc Scheller and some intensive stretching exercises before moving on to a series of passing drills and lots of work with the ball. At the same time, Dennis Smarsch and Sören Ahlers were put through their paces by the new goalkeeper coach, Marco Knoop. Christopher Avevor and Jannes Wieckhoff continued to jog around the pitch, receiving a warm round of applause from the fans every time they ran past.

The opening training session of the new season was followed closely by the youngest of the fans, too.

After around 45 minutes and the obligatory drinks breaks, the coaching team divided the players into two teams for a practice match with two full-sized goals. A flowing game ensued with the right level of intensity and the mood was good both on and off the pitch. "After the break it’s important for the players to get a feel for the ball again," said Schultz afterwards. "They were all up for kicking a ball again, though, and it was a good session. It will get harder in the next few days and weeks, but the lads know why they are doing it."

After the session, the players signed autographs and posed for selfies or stopped for a chat with the supporters. "Having the fans here was great for the coaching team and the players as it meant there was a bit more life on the training ground," added Schultz with a smile on his face. "We’re all really looking forward to the new season."

Photos: FC St. Pauli