Norris shares what goes down on pre-season camps as he reminisces on Portsmouth trip to USA
Former Portsmouth man David Norris has lifted the lid on pre-season trips with Pompey, recalling his own squad’s trip to the United States under Steve Cotterill.
Norris travelled to the States with the Pompey squad in 2011 and was discussing the memories of the trip and how it can benefit the team both physically and as a bonded unit.
John Mousinho’s current squad have recently landed back from an intense camp in Croatia and have now begun their pre-season fixtures back on English soil.
Speaking exclusively to Pompey News, Norris said: “I’m assuming they haven’t changed too much from when I was playing, but they were great team bonding times.
“The trip to America we had at Pompey was brilliant – it really gelled us together, especially as we had some big names from the Premier League in our squad like Dave Kitson, Liam Lawrence and Greg Halford.
“You get worked hard, it can be long, but for getting everyone together, it’s great. You normally used to get your night out at the end as well – we had a beach club sort of thing with a closed-off area in America, it was amazing and it really helped everyone let their barriers down and feel more comfortable.”
Portsmouth in pre-season tests
Portsmouth have now returned from the 35-degree heat in Croatia and are now underway with their matches in the milder climes of Gosport, Havant and Bognor.
Supporters got the first view of several players on Tuesday night with a 3-1 win at Gosport Borough, Josh Murphy scoring in his first appearance in royal blue.
The intensity will be cranked up as the season approaches, with trips to MK Dons and Charlton coming up before the long-awaited trip to Leeds United on 10 August to kick off the Championship.
Numerous trialists have been involved so far, namely former Manchester City academy defender Jamal Baptiste and Irish teenage striker Sean Patton.
With further signings expected, pre-season will be the ample opportunity to integrate them with as much time as possible before the campaign begins.
In other Portsmouth news, an in-depth look at Pompey target Karamoko Dembele.
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