Sylvan Ebanks-Blake has probably had easier summer but Wolves’ Championship’s Golden Boot winner is determined to put his court ordeal behind him by doing what he does best – scoring goals.
Found guilty of assaulting a doorman with his girlfriend’s handbag earlier this month, the 22-year-old accepts he risks abuse at opposition grounds nationwide when the campaign kicks off on August 9.
That being the case, it’s probably better for the worst to be out the way first. Those catcalls will no doubt be louder in the Championship opener at his former club Plymouth than anywhere else.
He said: “I’ll probably need broad shoulders but we’ll cross that hurdle when it comes. I haven’t got a bad word to say about the place (Plymouth). I had a very good 18 months down there.
“I worked hard and I was pleased to have had the opportunity to play there. I’ve got some good friends down there and football-wise, it was an all-round good experience.”
Eager to put the incident behind him, Ebanks-Blake has been throwing himself into the punishing workload on Wolves’ pre-season tour in Scotland.
Despite wrestling with a niggling back injury, the powerfully-built striker got his first goal of the summer when he smashed home the last minute winner at Dundee on Sunday.
He said: “I was really pleased to get off the mark. The conditions were difficult because the pitch was really dry, the ball was sticky and we were only playing 45 minutes.
“But we were very professional, we got the result, the performance was good and I think everyone was pleased.”
LIke the rest of the 23-man squad – Rob Edwards hasn’t yet trained over here – Ebanks-Blake has been busting a gut to impress as the players have only had 45 minutes in each match so far.
He said: “With us only playing 45 minutes, it’s your chance to send to send out a message to stick in the manager’s head for the first game of the season.
“We’re all professional and we play 45 minutes of football as if we’re playing 90, then we do our running after.”
Seeing the players sprinting around the pitch at half-time and full-time is a new thing to many Wolves watchers here in Scotland.
So too is the sight of seeing heart monitors strapped around the players’ chests during training and matches, ‘big brother’ style.
But you won’t find any complaints from Ebanks-Blake.
He said: “Pre-season has been really challenging. ‘Dales’ (fitness coach Tony Daley) has got the lads ticking over really well. Like the gaffer has said, all the lads are looking really fit.
“Each year though, pre-season becomes more scientific. Dales’ is now assessing our heart rates during games.
“He’s looking at percentages and how hard people are working by their heart rates. Pre-season training is always hard and it’s an important time, because it can help shape your season.
“It can mean you go into the season feeling fit and fresh, because you have that work under your belt.”
Wolves players’ heart rates and their preparations take a further step upwards tomorrow night with a trip to face the first of two SPL sides – Mark McGhee’s UEFA Cup qualifiers Motherwell.
He said: “It’s definitely starting to get tougher – Sunday’s game at Dundee wasn’t easy. People call them friendlies but there are no easy games and they’re far from friendlies.
“We look forward to it because we want to be playing against better opposition and testing ourselves, against young players as an up and coming team.
“It will be testing and it will be a new experience for a lot of us and a very good one to help us on our way into the new season.”
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