WITH no ice baths available to Cherries’ players at present amid the coronavirus pandemic, Ferndown-raised Sam Surridge has been making the most of the area to aid his recovery.

Now living with brother Matt, the 21-year-old last week decided to take a dip in the sea to keep his legs fresh.

It is fair to say judging by the post on his Instagram, the striker did not look too impressed by temperature of the water at Sandbanks.

But the eager young frontman is keen to take any action possible to stake a claim for involvement in his boyhood club’s crucial nine-game run in.

“Afterwards, we are not allowed to use any ice baths at the training ground,” the promising striker told the Daily Echo.

“So me and someone else just went there. It’s good for your legs, good for your recovery getting in the sea - it’s a privilege we have here.

“In pre-season, all the players are saying you kind of do that.

“They are hard days and then you just go to the beach after, relax and get in the sea for your recovery.”

June 17 is the restart date for the English top flight, with Surridge and the rest of Eddie Howe’s men set to feature in their first game back the following weekend.

When the Premier League on Saturday announced no positive COVID-19 results from their latest round of testing – Project Restart was given a huge lift.

Cherries goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale also said he would be back in training on Monday after confirming a negative test from one of the 1,130 players and club personnel in the fourth screening session.

Surridge is looking forward to welcoming the stopper back to the training ground, which he believes is one of the safest environments in the country.

Asked whether he had felt completely safe since returning to work on site, the club’s academy graduate said: “Yeah. I think everyone I’ve spoken to, we all have.

“The club have done brilliantly. You are almost safer in your working environment than you are when you are going out and about – when you are going to the shops and that.

“I don’t think there is a safer place you could work, to be fair.

Bournemouth Echo:

“To get one of the players testing positive, you are almost thinking in the next testing session we have, there might be a couple more.

“I think it obviously did maybe frighten a couple of people. We are all healthy lads and we are all okay but it is more our families that a lot of people are worried about.

“But it’s been all good. We got tested again and there was no-one (positive) in the group.

“There were a couple that were just worried but I think everyone just has their mind set on the start of the season now.

“You’ve been training for the past couple of weeks. Running before that and you almost wonder when it’s all going to happen.

“I think everyone is almost going to take it up a gear and we are all going to be working hard to that day. It’s going to be exciting.”

So, having felt safe, what was it like to have some normality back in getting on the training pitch?

“It’s brilliant,” said Surridge. “It has been a long couple of months and it’s almost like, because you are away for so long, you don’t know what you’re going to be like when you come back.

“But I think everyone has just picked up where we left off and everyone is happy to be back.

“It’s lovely. It’s almost like a little surreal feeling. You have been in your house for two months and then you are suddenly back on the training pitch and you are back to work.

“The coaches have been brilliant. They have eased us back in and it almost just feels normal now.

“I just wanted to get back playing as soon as I could. I was in my house just looking forward to every update I was seeing. I just wanted to get back training.”

Surridge, who signed a new four-and-a-half year contract with Cherries in January, has recorded just 15 minutes in the top flight since returning from a fruitful loan spell at Swansea.

He did however demonstrate his impact from the bench for Howe, coming on to net against Arsenal in the FA Cup.

Bournemouth Echo:

The England under-21 international is fully aware he has competition for match minutes with the likes of Callum Wilson, Joshua King and Dominic Solanke.

But if called on to help Cherries escape the drop zone, the determined youngster would relish the challenge, rather than fear it.

The former Weymouth and Poole Town loan star said: “It’s almost a pre-season, even though the season is carrying on.

“It’s almost like you are coming back and you want to show what you can do. It’s a clean slate, so I’ve got myself as fit as I can in the past couple of months.

“I have worked hard on a couple of things, feel like I’ve been training well and hopefully I will get a chance.

“It’s still a big opportunity for Bournemouth. We need to kind of get some momentum behind us when we come back.

“If I get the opportunity it would be brilliant. I don’t think I’d be fazed by it at all and I’m relishing the opportunity if it does happen.

“I am quite a confident lad. I’m sure I’ll do the best I can. I’m excited to get back. For me personally it would be a massive opportunity if I get a chance.”