"We were going to take them away, but we felt it might be better if they relax with their families and I think they're all pleased with that.
"The lads definitely needed a break. They do a lot of work in training, and both mentally and psychologically they do need to have a break from things and get away from the training ground.
"Some of the lads played in the reserves in midweek but they will also have quite a bit of time off, while the other first teamers were off from Tuesday and you could tell they were looking forward to it.
Those not involved in the reserve game were off from last Tuesday until yesterday when they returned to prepare for this weekend's Premiership fixture with Portsmouth.