Tuesday
Tuesday morning we had a lie in for a pre-match meal at 11.00am and mentally prepared for the game against Vitesse Arnhem at 2.00pm. The day was very disappointing for me personally as I didn’t do anything all day because of an injury. It was also a very disappointing day for the team as we lost 3-0.
In the first half we were very good, although we didn’t have too much of the ball, we defended well and it was 0-0 and half time. However, we didn’t get up to the same standard in the second half and our performance slipped. Vitesse were a strong side but I think we were capable of putting in a better performance against them.
Wednesday
Today we had a double session. The morning session I personally didn’t see much of because I was doing other things with my injury. However, in the afternoon I trained back as normal and it was a very good session leading up to the mini tournament we have on Friday. We worked on a lot of technique, small sided games and some finishing and all the lads were buzzing throughout the session which is good.
In the evening we had a lot of fun, the first year scholars did their dance-off which is what happens every year, so all the lads had a great laugh. Also at 9pm we had a team bonding session doing bowling. It was a fun and great evening competing against each other with a lot of banter.
Thursday
Today was a break from football because all three clubs (Ourselves, Middlesbrough, and Tranmere) went on a trip to Amsterdam. Throughout the trip we had to find certain landmarks using a map like the Golden Bend Canal. This was great as we had to find our way around ourselves so it was a good laugh. During the trip I noticed a lot of differences between Amsterdam and England. The day was absolutely hectic, because we are not used to the Dutch way of life it was uncomfortable as sometimes you didn’t know where you were going. Bicycles were all over the place and it was so busy around the shops, it seemed like everyone was in a rush.
Friday
The last day of the tour was a good one. We woke up early for a light training session in the morning ready for the games against Middlesbrough and Tranmere. We changed our formation to 3-5-2 so we had some work to do to get used to it. The games didn’t go as well as planned as we could have and maybe should have done better. We lost Middlesbrough but could have managed a draw, and I feel as though against Tranmere we could have maybe got a win. However, we still ended up in the final due to other results but we didn’t play very well in that match either.
In the evening there was a presentation ceremony and a BBQ with the other clubs at the hotel which was good. Overall the trip was a fantastic experience. Breakfast tomorrow is at 5am so we are leaving the hotel at 6am. Our flight from Holland is at around 10.05am landing in Manchester at 10.25am English time.
