Now I can't wait for the new season to kick off
TODAY is our last day on the Algarve and I've thoroughly enjoyed it.
OK, I have to admit I've found it tough, physically, because I've been working alongside full-time players.
But I've no doubt training in this environment will have made me a far better player. I can't wait to get back home and get back on the competitive field again!
And because the weather has been so good we've been able to put in some excellent skills work.
Yesterday was beautiful, with temperatures around 20 degrees, and it hasn't rained once during our stay.
The other night, I thought I felt about 20 spots of rain, but I later discovered it had come from the sprinklers to water the pitch!
They've been coming on every morning and night because it's the only way to keep the pitch moist.
It's been a brilliant surface to train on and, as soon as we finish a session, the staff at Brown's come straight on to repair any damage that may have been caused.
And we've certainly kept them very busy because we've spent so much of our time on that training field.
The dimensions are exactly the same as that of the Galpharm (100m x 68m), so much of the work over the last couple of days have been of a game-related nature.
We did take one major break from the training field yesterday when we had a major work-out on the beach.
Running in the sand is really tough on the legs, but has always been regarded as an excellent form of exercise.
Fortunately, we weren't worked to exhaustion, because everything is now being geared towards the game against Wigan on Sunday.
Plans for that are going superbly, although it's unlikely I'll be playing a part. But, hopefully, my time will come sooner rather than later.
