The rhythm is becoming regular for me now, however this morning was a little stagnant. We arrived to the ground for 9am beginning, however today was the day that the regular starters were getting massages and therefore we didn’t begin training until well after they were done. As always, we foam rolled and stretched, and watched more film, however this time it was of Derry’s play and not the opposition. Finally we were onto the pitch. Today’s weather was the most consistent it has been since I have been here, with it mostly sunny during most of the session!

The session today was lighter and shorter, however still some good work out of it. To begin with they split up the squad for the weekend and the rest, and we went off and played a 5v2 grid transfer game. Originally they had made the grids with olders vs youngins and I was in the olders one until they changed it, so it was a little disappointing not to be with the older and better players. However I took this chance to really show myself and quality. I was with mostly youth players and did as best I could to control the grid keeping possession, but also winning it back when I was defending. After the grid game we went into 6v6 possession, and once again I made it a point to stand out through my quality and experience and thats what I did. Winning the ball back, keeping the ball, and also keeping the ball moving within the grid.

I was happy with the way I mentally overcame the challenge and just put in the hard work and got on with it. At the end they played an 11v11 with the starting 11 and bench and they needed a few extra players. I was asked to step in at center back and we played for about 20min. Except for one poor pass, I was happy with my play, defending well, communicating constantly and keeping the ball. These are the chances I need to take and show what I have to offer, especially when the manager is there watching.

I came out of the session satisfied with my performance and felt as though I took another step in the right direction. After a shower and some locker room banter we headed to get some lunch. It was 5 of the lads and myself and we had a good time, all

finished off with a nice cup of tea at a nice cafe at Foyleside. Unfortunately no Euro games to watch today, so Ill just rest up this afternoon.