DAY 4

We got up and had breakfast in our room before being picked up by Neil Thornber to be taken into Manchester city. It's about a 45 min drive from our base in Wrea Green by motorway into the city centre. On the way you can see the Bolton Wanderers, Reebok stadium standing out in the rolling hills that make up the Lancashire landscape. This is a huge stadium holding a crowd capacity of up to 40,000. In Manchester, Neil took us to "The Cliffs" the original training grounds dating back to the early days of the club and still used up until the early 2000's before they built and moved to the Carrington facilities. The original grandstand is still in tacked, as are the original changing rooms. These were used by the likes of Sir Bobby Charlton, George Best, Bobby Robson, Eric Cantona and David Beckham.

Today "The Cliiffs" are used for junior squads and has a large indoor training facility for year round use. Given the lovely English weather it's a good idea! We then headed over and picked up, Arthur (from ASA academy) now at high school in Manchester, to visit the "Theatre of dreams" Old Trafford. This is a humungous stadium dwarfing the Bolton Reebok Stadium by comparison. Old Trafford built on Salford Quayside has a capacity of 76,000 seats and is the second largest stadium in England, only the new Wembley stadium is larger and holding 90.000. The city is divided by colours, you are are born either a red or a blue...Manchester United "The Red Devils" or Manchester City "Blues"...there is nothing else! We did a tour of the museum which was amazing, seeing the all the trophies and memorabilia during back to the clubs beginnings.

Then we were taken around the stadium and walked down the "Munich tunnel" a tribute to the players and club officials tragically killed in the air crash of 1958, which led to the beginning of a new era of football at Man Utd...the Busby Babes. We then had a tour of the back of house, into the changing rooms and players room. What a great experience. Unfortunately, our afternoon practice was cancelled due to Stewart the Groundsman not turning up on time due to the heavy rain! In the evening we went to the "Trafford Centre" a gigantic shopping mall where Josh got some new boots! A memorable note by one of the greatest players of all time: Asked where all his money had gone, George Best replied " Birds, booze and fast cars....the rest I just squandered" What a legend!

DAY 5

Today we did another one on one training session with Neil Thornber, from Manchester United academy at his Lytham FC grounds. Today Neil ran through a number of new training techniques with emphasis on body movement. All his drills are related to both fitness and game play. Josh did really well, listening carefully to Neil's instructions and performing the drills with a high level of competence. He learnt some of Man Utd team tricks, including the Paul Scholes turn, Berbatov hold up and the Ronaldo chop. Neil's a really nice guy and a great coach and Josh has really benefited from this one on one time! After a subway sandwich lunch we came back and rested up in the afternoon as Josh was heading off this evening for a training session with the Preston North End U14 team. The Preston NE club are a Championship side and were the 1st winners of the premier league in 1888.

They are one of the top sides in a closely fought championship this season, with only 4 points separating the top 8, and only 3 climbing into the top flight Barclays premier league at seasons end. Given the above they are a very competitive club with extremely high standards and expectations, so this is great opportunity for Josh. We had seen the U14 guys play on Sunday so Josh had an idea of their standard. They are coached by Darren Finch, who is also Preston's Assistant Director of the Academy. Josh fitted in right away and watching from the sidelines you wouldn't have known he was the new boy on the block. He ran through the warm up routine and drills very well and also participated and play well in the body of the training session.

He was able to use some of the "tools" taught by Neil during the one on one sessions, so that was pleasing to see that he was taking the training tips and techniques and using them in a game sense! He did some good passes and even scored a goal. David Hobson, had a chat to Darren at the end of the evening session and he was very impressed with Josh and so we were have been invited back there for another training session on Friday e vening. David said that was a great result and emphasized how important it was to give it all in these situations as these opportunities don't come along everyday! David Beckham started his career at Preston before being snapped up by Manchester United. So go Josh!

DAY 6

Today we had the morning free, so had a sleep in and then a spot of brunch and just hung out at our base, Ribby hall village, until Neil picked us up and took us into Manchester to do some training at Manchester United's Lyttleton Road grounds. Arthur (ASA )joined us for the session, so that was a good opportunity for Neil to get the boys to play off each other . Neil ran them through a series of exercises that can be done with two players or a group, these included a series of movement and co-ordination skills.

Neil's theory on this is that you need to be able to adjust your body and get it into a position to take a ball, as you are not always going to keep a perfect ball, hence the emphasis on body position and movement. The boys did some fun routines which are also great for a warm routine and stretching. These are like dance moves with the ball...think Brazilian samba. After the practice we went to Altrincham FC grounds to watch the Manchester United reserves play the Blackburn Rovers reserves. It was a small intimate ground with seating for approx 2,000 people, on the night there was a attendance of 660. It was a great experience to see the players up close, most of which are 17-19 years of age with the majority coming through the academy. The reserves are coached by a former 1st team great, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. He was one of Sir Alex Ferguson's favourites and has an illustrious career in the 90's with the club.

The Manchester Reserves had a great team with a few younger brothers of 1st team players in the squad, Reecce Brown, Wes Brown's brother and Corey Evans, Jonny Evans brother making appearances. It was a good game which Manchester dominated and won 3-0. The first coming from a superb free kick by Magnus Eikrem, the 2nd a tap in by substitute Febian Brandy, a young player with outstanding pace and skill. The 3rd and final was sco red by Zoran Tosic, the young Serbian player who has had some 1st team experience and he showed why, with some fantastic skill, tricks and energy. His 20 yard blaster was outstanding!

DAY 7, Friday
Today we had to opportunity of visiting the Manchester United Carrington training facility. This is a fantastic facility based just outside of the city centre in a small rural district. David Hobson was able to get us access, not many people get a chance to visit this place as it a restricted area. You drive down this country lane to the end where there is a barrier gate, then drive down a single lane to another barrier before getting access.

The Carrington facility houses a number of grounds for all the grades from U10's through to the academy levels (16-19 yrs), youth team, reserves and of course the 1st team. The grounds are maintained to a very high level and are like bowling greens. There are a total of nine fields Derek Langley, Head of recruitment, took us on a tour of the complex. Firstly we visited the Academy. It is a large aircraft hangar size building, through the glass front reception area with a meet and greet area you walk down a picture lined corridor. The club's philosophy to instill into the young players the sense of history and tradition within this famous club. There a variety of changing rooms and as you progress up through the ranks the changing rooms get bigger and better. There is a full medical centre with a full lab plus a physiotherapy room and a full time staff. Upstairs is a conference rooms, for team meetings and schooling plus a lounge area and a big cafeteria and a viewing balcony that looks out onto the enormous indoor training arena which is completely covered in the 3G afro turf. On the other side outside is a full sized afro turf pitch. We then we taken into the main building, behind the reception we entered the main team sanctuary.

There are a players l ounge, changing rooms, kit rooms and a fully equipped gym with a special 4G sprung floor, where we saw Zoran Tosic shooting some baskets on the court as well as few of the 1st team players on the warm up bicycles. We then went into the fitness room we saw club captain, Gary Neville on the treadmill. Onto the swimming pool area which has a 25m pool, a hydrotherapy pool and a Jacuzzi. Owen Hargreaves was exercising in the pool, after coming back from an injury and they are hoping he'll be back soon. Upstairs are offices, conference and meeting rooms. We couldn't see the 1st team practice today as Sir Alex Ferguson had the closed field training ground under "lock down" as this weekend they are up against one of the clubs biggest rivals, Liverpool. Considered by many as the game of the season. Josh had a quick photo opportunity with 1st team player Darren Gibson.

Heading back up the M6 we stopped to have a quick close up at Bolton wanderers, Reebok stadium. Are a few snaps and a bite to eat we went to Preston North End's ground and a visist to the National Football Museum. It was full of fantastic memorabilia dating back to the games humble beginnings. Mid afternoon we got back to our base at Ribby Hall and we just chilled out. Josh was feeling a bit tired as it has been a pretty packed week and we'd had a late night by the time we got back from watching the reserves play the night before. Also he was feeling a bit of pressure having been asked back to train with the Preston U14 squad and knowing he had to really perform to his highest standard if he was going to get any other future opportunity. We arrived at Preston training grounds and he got straight into it! He worked very hard during the warm up and drills before playing very well in the game section which took up the majority of the practice. He made very few mistakes and was very solid in both his defending and offensive play, showing great vision coupled with good decision making, on when to set a good pass and when to hold on to the ball or make a run. He also scored a good goal to open the scoring which I think gave him confidence to back himself. Nick (sorry di dn't note his surname) the Academy director stayed and watched for a good 20 minutes so that was good. After the game, Darren Finch the U14 coach, gave them a tough run out for 10 minutes really grueling but Josh stood up and preformed very well, especially knowing how tired he (and the other boys) must have been. David Hobson and I talked to Darren at the end of the session and David asked how Darren thought Josh went and he did very well and that Preston would be interested in trialing him! That means we need to come back in July next year for a 6 week trials camp! If he does well then he would be offered scholarship with them at their academy! A brilliant result and something for us to work towards! Fantastic Josh and well deserved for all your hard work and effort!!