Paul Anderson spent his last week before returning to Portman Road for pre-season training on a beach — but it was nowhere near as exotic as it may sound.
It wasn’t the Copacabana or somewhere in the Caribbean or Mediterranean but a quiet location just across the border into Scotland, where the Town midfielder has made a habit of visiting on an annual basis.
He explained: "I always go up to Scotland with my dad and my brother, and I do beach runs and things up there. It’s something a bit different and I find you have to do a little bit extra just to make sure you’re in the right shape for when you come back.
"I’m very fortunate that my grandparents have a place near Dumfries, not far from the beach. A two-minute walk and you’re on it so I go up there and make use of it, and I have a little holiday at the same time. I make sure I get up early, eat the right food and sort of get back into my training regime.”
He is not even allowed a long lie in the mornings — old man Phil, who was once on the books at Hull City, also one of his son’s former clubs, sees to that.
Anderson Jnr added: "My dad used to crack the whip but he’s admitted defeat because I’ve gone further than he ever would have done in the game so he admits that I’m beyond any help from him.
"But he’s always supported me and I know he’s there for me. He has helped me a lot and he’s still the one telling me ‘Right, you’re up at eight o’clock in the morning’ and making sure I am. If I had my way I’d be thinking of maybe staying in bed for another 10 minutes but there’s no chance with him on my case.
"Where I’m lucky is that I’m one of the fortunate lads who don’t have to keep on top of things as much as some of the others. I am a naturally fit guy, which is very fortunate, but for the last week or two of the summer break I always put in a little bit extra in preparation for coming back.”
Anderson joined Town in the summer of 2013 and agrees it can take a while to get used to your new surroundings, pointing out: "It always takes a little bit of time to build up your fitness and also to learn a new manager’s tactics and the style in which he wants you to play. It’s always difficult to learn these different ways.
"I’ve had over a year now with the manager here and I had a good pre-season. I know it probably didn’t look as if I was fit by the end of the Millwall game on Saturday but I feel really fit and that I’m fitting in well to what the manager wants from me.”
Despite his connections with Scotland there is no chance of Anderson joining Christophe Berra in Gordon Strachan’s international squad for the simple reason that he doesn’t qualify.
He said: "When Craig Levein was the manager they got in touch and asked if I had any Scottish in me. I told them I did but unfortunately I miss out by a generation on my dad’s side.”