Home alone this morning, however Harry picked me up around 11am and I headed to his place before we reported to the hotel where we were departing from for the away game. I was lucky enough to have a seat because a few of the lads had travelled down earlier the night before to visit their family and stay at home for the weekend. It was just like any away trip really. Nothing too special about the bus. A bit of chat with those around me on the bus, read the paper, and watched as Ireland went by out my window. The only difference however, was the fact that there are no massive motorways, so it was along country roads and through small towns every so often, until we were about 30 minutes outside of Dublin when it moved up to two lanes of a motorway.

We arrived at the hotel where pre match meal, pre match talk, and massages/rolling/stretching would occur. The food was good and I had good conversation with a few of the lads about various aspects of football. Then we went into the pre match talk where the team was named, and the areas to focus on were addressed etc. It was nice to see how it all goes down, and I got to see another aspect to the manager and learn how he  inspires the team on game day. Eventually we were on our way to the stadium.

Once the bus arrived at the stadium and we walked across the pitch towards the dressing room, various players were asked for interviews at random. The match was being televised and obviously they wanted some coverage. So some of us made sure we went away from the lady and the camera. One of the lads, Ryan, who travelled wasn’t selected in the match day squad, so him and I sat and talked while the warm ups and pre match preparation went on.

The game unfortunately was nothing special. Possession was tossed about by both teams and only in patches did Derry play well. Derry scored a good goal after some nice build up after 10 minutes, and defended that lead for the remainder of the game. It was an important win for the team as it further establishes them in 3rd place and puts the pressure on 2nd place. At seasons end, the team in first qualifies for UEFA Champions League Qualification, and the 2nd and 3rd placed teams qualify for UEFA Europa League Qualification. As the title is now fairly out of Derry’s reach, making sure they finish 2nd or 3rd is crucial, so this win was very important for that.

Back on the bus and the 3 hour journey home began. Arriving in at 1.30am, and home and in bed by 2! Not too bad.