North Wales Crusaders halfback Jordy Gibson can’t wait to get back out on the field as he feels there’s nothing like match fitness.
Gibson made an impressive start to life at Crusaders after stepping up to the semi-professional game from local amateur club Haydock ahead of the 2020 campaign.
The 28-year-old was one of the players left out of North Wales’ pre-season opener at Hunslet as Anthony Murray opted to run with a smaller squad to give people bigger minutes.
But Gibson is eager to return to action as Crusaders conclude their pre-season schedule at Rochdale Hornets on Sunday.
He said: “It’s been a long time coming and I’m really glad we’re back.
“For six or seven of us, it’ll be our first game so we might be lacking in match fitness.
“We’ve done a lot of conditioning and work on the field since we returned for pre-season, but there’s nothing like match fitness.
“We matched Hunslet for the majority of the game last weekend and just need to work on a few bits.
“We had a lot of new lads in the side, but we held our own. Both Hunslet and Rochdale are quality sides and will be there or there abouts this season.
“Pre-season games can sometimes be a good wake-up call and playing these teams will stand us in good stead come the start of the season.”
With so much competition for places in Crusaders’ squad now, Gibson is fully aware everyone needs to perform if they want to secure a place in Murray’s squad for the League 1 opener at London Skolars.
He said: “It’s good competition and all the lads get on well, but we’re here to do a job and we know there’s someone just as good ready to step up in every position.
“We’ve got so much depth now and that’s why our aim needs to be the play-offs at the least.
“As players, we know we’ve got to perform or we might end up losing our place in the team.”
