Wednesday started with another well prepared hotel breakfast, with most of the boys taking steps in the right direction and experiencing some of the finer delicacies that England have to offer! After a short break to stock on up food for the day, we hit the road and headed up north to face one of the most reputable academies in the country.
The journey was yet another trek through the scenic hills of England, sprinkled with mist and rain, adding flavor to the game build up. As we got closer to the facility, for the first time, the boys broke into song, completing the ingredients of a proper bus trip to an away game!
The facility itself is etched in tradition, privately nestled in the countryside. Once again, the club culture was clear and the focus on the character of the individual player was of great importance. After being given the instructions in the dressing room, the boys walked down to the superbly manicured fields to face their toughest opponent to date.
Middlesbrough posed a different type of threat than our previous opponents, showing a very intelligent and technical approach to the game. Our boys threatened the Middlesbrough goal, twice hitting the woodwork in the early exchanges of the game, before going 1-0 behind from a well placed free kick. The boys responded well, but were unable to prevent Boro from doubling the lead in the second period. The third period started slow, but after some adjustments from the staff, they were able to finish strong and complete an extremely creditable performance against a Premier League academy outfit.
As we head back down A1, we are meeting with each player to discuss their player development plans along with sharing some feedback individually from the staff.
The players and staff will now reflect before preparing for the next challenge, a trip to Liverpool. You could say that this is a proper welcome to The Premier League!
The facility itself is etched in tradition, privately nestled in the countryside. Once again, the club culture was clear and the focus on the character of the individual player was of great importance. After being given the instructions in the dressing room, the boys walked down to the superbly manicured fields to face their toughest opponent to date.
Middlesbrough posed a different type of threat than our previous opponents, showing a very intelligent and technical approach to the game. Our boys threatened the Middlesbrough goal, twice hitting the woodwork in the early exchanges of the game, before going 1-0 behind from a well placed free kick. The boys responded well, but were unable to prevent Boro from doubling the lead in the second period. The third period started slow, but after some adjustments from the staff, they were able to finish strong and complete an extremely creditable performance against a Premier League academy outfit.
As we head back down A1, we are meeting with each player to discuss their player development plans along with sharing some feedback individually from the staff.
The players and staff will now reflect before preparing for the next challenge, a trip to Liverpool. You could say that this is a proper welcome to The Premier League!
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