Defender Curtis Davies has penned his latest Captain's Blog from the pre-season training camp in Florida.
Following on from yesterday’s match we had a lighter session this morning but we were still out on the grass working on different things.
After a tough start to the week it was a relief to get into a game day yesterday. In saying that, we did train in the morning ahead of the game to remind us this is no holiday!
We came up against the newly-formed Sarasota Metropolis who play in USL League Two, which is the fourth tier of U.S soccer. The game was played at 6pm local time which meant it was a lot cooler than when we train, but it was still very humid.
We knew going into the game we would be fielding two different sides for each half so it was about getting as much as possible out of yourself for 45 minutes. Going into my first game for seven months, I was looking forward to testing myself in a match situation.
Though the opposition were well-organised in their defensive shape for much of the game, they rarely threatened our goal in either half. So whilst we were able to work on our attacking movements and play, and also our ball retention, there wasn’t much defending to be done if I’m being honest. I guess you could say the game was maybe a good one to ease me back into the swing of things, in hindsight I’d probably agree but I wouldn’t have minded a defensive battle to gauge where I am at.
Overall it was a good run-out for the boys, and a good test of patience in breaking a team down. From the early signs of the way the manager wants to play we will look to have a lot of possession which may mean we see teams set up like this during the season.
We have four more pre-season games against some good sides. With Bristol City up next on Saturday here in Florida, so there’s still plenty of time for me to be twisted inside-out by someone after moaning we weren’t tested that much defensively last night!
