SHEFFIELD Wednesday players report back for pre-season on Monday. For Jamaican duo Deon Burton and Jermaine Johnson the summer holiday will almost be over before it's begun.
The pair have just arrived back from the West Indies, where the Reggae Boyz ended their programme of World Cup qualifiers with thumping 7-0 and 6-0 wins over the Bahamas.
Burton scored twice in the second leg match. He said: "It's been a good time with Jamaica. We're now in the group stage of the semi finals where we are with Mexico, Canada and Honduras. That's a tough-looking group but we're confident of doing well.
"I've been keeping really fit, playing well and scoring goals too, so that can only bode well for when I start pre-season with Wednesday."
Manager Brian Laws has had all the players in at the Middlewood training ground already. He checked on half the squad last week and the other half this week.
It's been almost non-stop football for Burton and Johnson and Laws will assess the pair next week and decide on their pre-season workload.
Burton, who is now 32, says there's no fear of burn-out.
He said: "I've stayed injury free out there so I will come back for training in great shape and at the top of my game. I can't wait for the season to start against Burnley. I should be going into that game feeling great with the pre-season under my belt as well. I'll be firing on all cylinders and raring to go."
Burton finished the season well. In the last Championship game, in front of the highest Championship crowd of the season at Hillsborough, he scored twice against Norwich before jetting out to Jamaica just days later.
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