STUART GELLING has kept his Cefn Druids players on their toes during lockdown with one simple challenge: Beat the boss.

Gelling, who is set to remain as head coach at The Rock until the end of the 2019/20 Cymru Premier campaign - whenever that may be - has been setting his players fitness challenges with the season suspended until at least May 15 due to the coronavirus crisis.

“I’m not involved in the WhatsApp group, because I think that should be for the players,” said Gelling. “But they’ve been given little challenges to do.

“I sent a video of myself skipping to them last week and challenged them to beat my target.

“I’ve been running, I’m not going to tell you my time, but they’ve been given that time to beat.

“I’m 46, so if they can’t beat me there is no hope!”

Experienced striker Jamie Reed hit 200km for distance ran during April, and Gelling is delighted to see his playing squad keeping active.

“We can’t be naive,” said Gelling. “We need to realise that other players from other teams will be out keeping fit, so we can’t sit around drinking beer and eating chocolate.

“The reality is that if players return overweight and unfit then they will get caught out, because the league could announce that we are coming back on a Monday with the following Saturday the first game. We won’t be given two weeks to prepare.”

Asked whether he feels the Cymru Premier season should be ended without another ball kicked in anger, Gelling added: “All the feedback I’m getting is that there is a willingness to play the outstanding games. From a personal point of view, while people are still in danger then I don’t think football can return.”