As Doncaster Rovers return from their pre-season training camp in Portugal, one of the happiest men in the warm weather training was fitness coach Ben Rome.
Rome has been the man responsible for putting the players through their paces in the tough conditions.
“It’s been brilliant, the lads have reacted well,” he said.
“The sessions have been hard, as has the weather. It will stand them in good stead for when we return to English conditions.
“Now, with just over three weeks to go before first game, we're halfway through and it’s shaping up nicely.”
Although Rovers lost 3-1 to Huddersfield Town in a behind closed doors friendly, Rome insisted that the week had many positives to take from it; both on a physical and mental level.
“There’s a lot of research to suggest that if you can train at this intense heat, it will make you fitter and make it easier to cope when you train at normal temperatures,” he said.
“It gives everybody a focus, there are no distractions as we're here 24 hours a day and we can control everything the players do and they can bond together and take people away from the stresses of home and family life.”
Rovers will swap Portugal for Cleethorpes when they continue their pre-season preparations with a fixture against Grimsby Town at Blundell Park on Tuesday 22nd July (7pm).
You can see an exclusive clip of Ben Rome's interview below and the full version on Rovers Player.