The Harps Are Playing.
I made sure that I was at least two hours earlier than everyone else in the training ground before we were picked up by the team coach.
I sat down at my computer and sent an email to a certain club regarding a striker.
Finally the players and staff started arriving too. I greeted everyone of them, not really to be nice, just to rub it in that I got here before everyone else. Especially after yesterday.
Eventually after everyone arrived, the coach did and everyone climbed aboard.
The lads were in really high spirits during the journey to Balleybofey but those spirits were soon dampened when a shower of rain greeted us to Finn Park. As I stepped off of the coach, my foot disappeared in a puddle. I swore under my breath. "Watch out coming off the coach lads, there's a bloody deep puddle there." I warned. "The last thing we need is you lot getting pneumonia."
The lads went straight to the changing room whilst Trevor and myself headed towards the pitch. As we walked out of the tunnel, we were not impressed. The pitch was appalling. It looked like a rugby match had been played here the night before. The weather didn't help much neither. I turned to Trevor. "We can't expect the team to play on this. It's awful. The lads are liable to get shin splints or something."
Trevor shook his head. "Unless the referee says so, we have to play." I mumbled a slight agreement and trudged back to the changing room, with my left foot still squelching.
The lads were already dressed and ready for action. I walked round the room, seeing some of the players giggling at my wet shoe. "Listen lads. The pitch is appalling and it doesn't look as if the ref is gonna cancel the match. So just go out there and take it easy. The result really doesn't matter. Just be careful." The team nodded in agreement and left the changing room.
Finn Harps 2 - St. Patrick's Athletic 3.
Breen (31), Oakley (90) - Keane (3), Fitzpatrick (68, 70)
Again the team played well. They took it easy and still managed pull a result out of the bag. I was particularly impressed by Glen Fitzpatrick. He came on the field on the hour mark and worked his socks off, which I wasn't too impressed with, especially when I warned the team about the state of the pitch. But the lad showed great control to score two goals in the first 10 minutes he was on the field. He even won man of the match for being on for only half hour.
After the match the lads looked tired. They must've felt they'd run a cross country race.
* * *
When I arrived home, John was asleep on the couch with an empty bottle of beer in his hand. I couldn't be bothered to wake him. I just walked through to the bedroom and collapsed on the bed... | 
