England-based Zimbabwean player Adam Chicksen has pinpointed going straight back to the gym following Notts County’s play-off semi-final defeat to Grimsby Town as a key factor in his rich vein of goalscoring form this season.
The gifted left-back scored Notts’ only goal of the match in a 1-1 draw with Bromley at Meadow Lane on Tuesday evening.
Chicksen also scored twice in the Magpies’ emphatic 6-1 victory against Wealdstone last Tuesday, producing two wonderful finishes in the first half as Luke Williams’ side cruised to victory at Grosvenor Vale.
The 31-year-old left-back has now scored six goals for the National League table-toppers in what has been the best scoring season in the entirety of his professional career.
And speaking recently, Chicksen revealed the hard work for the 2022/23 campaign started the day after the play-off heartbreak against the Mariners last season, explaining the goals he has scored this season come as no surprise given the work put in during the off-season.
“I have put in a lot of hard work during the off-season, probably more than I have ever done,” explained Chicksen.
“It is no surprise for me the way I have started the season, and it’s paying off.
“I went back to what I have done in the past and put in that extra work. I got back to the basics, went straight back to the gym after the Grimsby game the next day, and the hard work started from there.
“As you get older, the seasons become more valuable and for me I don’t want to waste a day, so every time I go about my work in the same way, whether it be day to day or during the off-season.”
Chicksen was part of the Warriors squad that played a back-to-back fixture with Algeria in November 2020 during the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
He started and was later substituted when the Warriors played to a 2-2 draw at the National Sports Stadium a few days after they had lost 3-1 away in Algeria.
Chicksen is teammates with another Zimbabwean Luther Munakandafa, who was offered his first professional contract at Notts County in May.
Munakandafa, 19, has represented Zimbabwe at youth levels. He was part of the Young Warriors Under-17 team that featured at the Cosafa tournament in 2020.