Team Training

After changing his profile picture to that of him in an Accrington Stanley FC Jersey, after this he added a few more info on his insta he set his alarm to 5:00 AM for tomorrow and proceeded to go to sleep.

The next day he surprisingly woke up before his alarm at 4:53 AM. With this he undid the alarm and started his morning stretch which was made up of multiple isometric stretches. He then took a shower and changed into his practice attire.

Following this he went out of his room and met a few staff members that were working in the club. Which included the team's Physiotherapist. After a few back and forth introductions he went on to train alone. After all, if he wants to reach the top then he needs to start training before anyone else.

He started with a light 15 minute jog, which was followed by 10 minutes of juggling the ball on his feet. Next he practiced his dribbling, from running from one end of the field to the other at full speed while controlling the ball at the same time; to controlling the ball in tight spaces with the help of cones. Next his shooting, he practiced shooting with his weak foot which was his right. Practicing normal inside of foot shots, curled shots and power shots. Practicing in tight angles, in transition and first touch shots. After this he practiced with his strong foot, it consisted of much more drills; which had trivelas, long shots, half volleys and mixing it up with a few skill moves. 

After about an hour and a half he decided not to tire himself too much for the practice later so he decided to end it. He took another shower and changed into a tracksuit and jogging pants. Deciding to eat breakfast he went to the cafeteria which was quite empty other than a few of his teammates that were surprised to see an unfamiliar face. They already knew that there was a new signing but didn't expect him to be out so early. They introduced themselves to one another, here Adrian learned their names.

Seamus Conneely the club captain. He had been in the club since 2015 and primarily plays as a midfielder. He was a seasoned veteran and had been playing since 2007. He had a warm personality and even offered to help train Adrian if he asked.

Toby Savin, he was one of the club's goalkeepers. He was tall standing at 6 '4. He had been in the club since 2019. He seemed to have the demanding personality that most goalkeepers have, after all he is the last line of defence so he would always want the club's other players to do well in games, especially the defenders.

The two of them seemed to be the top workers of the club. As they arrived much earlier than the others. After a few minutes of chatting about themselves, Adrian excused himself to get breakfast. It was a simple meal which consisted of 3 eggs, toasted bread with margarine, sausage and fruits on the side. 

He sat on the table with Seamus and Toby as they had small talk while they ate. Eventually the other players started arriving, with the help of Toby and Seamus he was able to meet all the other players and know their names. Eventually breakfast came to an end. After resting for a short while, it was time for team training. 

It started with a team stretch and a 20 minute jog to finish the warmup. Next up it was passing training which consisted of short passes, one twos and crosses. This went on for about 30 minutes. After this they played piggy in the middle, where there would be 6 players forming a small circle and a single player trying to steal the ball as the 6 pass it around.

For the first set it was only natural that Adrian would be the piggy since he was new and young, also an opportunity to build team chemistry. 

The 6 players that formed the circle is as follows:

Sean McConville

Tommy Leigh 

Jack Nolan 

Rosaire Longelo

Matt Lowe

Joe Pritchard 

"No hard feelings mate!" Sean said as he dapped up Adrian.

The game started as Adrian aggressively started to tackle and intercept the ball. This went on for nearly a minute, up until Jack kicked it out of bounds. With this Jack was now the piggy, unlike Adrian who was aggressive he was composed and managed to intercept the ball within seconds.

This went on for 10 minutes until it was time for a water break. After the water break they practiced pressing and interception. Lastly it was time for shooting practice, it was similar to Adrian's solo practice in the morning. Except this one had first touch shots, three touch shots and volleys. This is where Adrian impressed, his first touch shots were extremely impressive especially for a midfielder. 

After about an hour the team played a scrimmage match. The team's were divided into the first 11 and the bench. Since he was new, Adrian was put on the bench team. 

The match was 2-2 when Adrian came in, there he showed that despite being an under-21 player, his skill level was that of the average player from the 2nd tier of football. Helping the bench team successfully beat the first 11 3-5. Giving himself an assist and a goal to contribute.

"Great job kiddo! With that performance I could say that the boss was impressed by that. If you're lucky, hell you could even be in the first team if the gaffer wanted. " Seamus said as he patted Adrian's back. 

'Thanks sir, It relieves me to think that I played well." He replied as they walked back to the facility.