Last updated at 12:42, Saturday, 05 May 2012

THE timing of the weekend off has hopefully gone in our favour as it has given the lads carrying little niggles the opportunity to get a clean bill of health.

In order to do that, the sessions prior to last weekend had very little contact involved.

For Thursday’s training, we went into Barrow Park for hill running, agility work and skills with the ball. We hadn’t planned to do any agility drills, but we have the inconsiderate dog owners to thank as the lads showed exceptional footwork to sidestep what their pets left behind!

Although only about five people saw it, Craven Park held its biggest game of the year last Friday night when Atkinson Athletic took on Wilcock Wanderers in a soccer game to rival the Champions League final.

I was actually surprised how well some of the lads could play, although there were a few that had two left feet and heads like 50p pieces. To make it even more competitive, the losing team had to buy their opposite number a drink at Mike Whitehead’s race night which followed.

Fortunately, I had Andy ‘John Hartson’ Ballard on my side and Andy isn’t one for parting with his money easily, so he gave our team a Liam Campbell-style team talk which paid dividends and we ran out comfortable winners. It was actually a good fitness session as nobody could pass to feet and we spent most of the evening chasing sliced passes!

Stars of the show were Ruairi ‘Brad Friedel’ McGoff, Jamie ‘Peter Crouch’ Butler and Mike ‘Phil Neville’ Backhouse.

Mike’s race night was a great success at the Strawberry – I know I spent more than I won, and I wasn’t the only one.

Mike’s parents, along with Steve and Diane Hogan, put on a good night so I am sure the big fella appreciated it.

Back to serious business and our trip to South Wales to play our old mate Dave Clark’s Scorpions. They haven’t had the best start to the season, but they are a young, inexperienced team and the longer Clarky gets time to mould them I’m sure they will continue to improve.

Like us, they had a blank weekend but were able to squeeze in a friendly against a Wigan under-20s side and defeated them 20-16, so we cannot take them lightly.

I recall playing South Wales in 1996 in Cardiff. The club must have been skint at the time, as we travelled down on the morning of the game leaving Barrow about 5.30am and not returning till the early hours of Monday. Not surprisingly, we got 50 put on us!

Thankfully, while you are reading this we should be somewhere near our hotel in Wales so we will be better prepared than back then.

First published at 10:40, Saturday, 05 May 2012
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk