Why Connor Roberts is the only footballer to take pleasure in hitting the woodwork

Connor Roberts of Swansea City shoots during the Sky Bet Championship match between Stoke City and Swansea City at Bet365 Stadium on March 03, 2021 in Stoke on Trent, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)

New Burnley signing Connor Roberts is possibly one of the only footballers on the planet that takes great delight in hitting the woodwork.

That's because the 25-year-old Welshman is a dab hand at DIY in his spare time.

Fans react to signing of ‘Welsh Cafu’

The ex-Swansea City man can often be seen with hammer and nail after fighting tooth and nail for club and country.

The right-back, who joined Burnley on deadline day for £2.5million, has even converted his garage into a makeshift workshop to build and store all of his carpentry creations.

“I can be in there for hours on end doing bits and bobs, ‘potching’ almost, ” he said, in an interview with the Guardian. “I have a bit of OCD, so everything has to be perfect. Once I’ve finished, I have to clean up and everything has to be put away nicely.

“I’d love to have my own business once football finishes and maybe have a couple of guys working for me and dabble in it.

"There is a lot to learn until then so that is on the back burner for now.

"On the bus when I go to away games and people are watching Netflix, I watch YouTube and try and learn how to do stuff because I’m no pro with it all and there’s always stuff to learn.”

After signing for the Swans at the age of nine, Roberts went on to win the Premier League 2 alongside Daniel James three years ago.

He was part of one of the meanest defences in the Championship last term while his post-match heat maps are a sight to behold.

At the halfway point of the 2020-21 campaign, he said: “We get the stats after every game and I think every game this season I’ve run the furthest out of everyone in my team and the opposition, so I’d probably go as far to say I’ve run further than anyone else [in the league].”