We had training this morning as usual at 10 a.m. The practice was light because there was a friendly match in the evening.
At practice, we warmed up with some 5-v-2 and then some passing in groups of six. While we were warming up, the coach had set up a circuit with three stations. The first station was a crossing and finishing drill where Jamie Watson (my RSL teammate) and I were partners and managed to score a few goals on Frank Juric, Hannover's Australian 'keeper.
The second station was a conditioning drill with Edward, the fitness trainer. This was easily our least favorite of the three stations. We did several sprints and some agility exercises and we were extremely happy when the coach blew the whistle for us to move to the next station.
Our last exercise was a shooting drill where we got to shoot on Jay Nolly (our other RSL teammate) for about 15 minutes. The practice lasted only an hour and afterwards we went back to the hotel to get some rest for the game later that night.
The game was against Heracles, a team in the Dutch first division. It was played in the stadium where the amateur team currently plays and there was around 1,000 people in attendance. Even at this friendly match, several groups of fans began chanting and singing songs and created a great atmosphere.
Hannover played really well in the first half and was winning 2-0 at halftime. Jamie and I played in the second half and we were both surprised at the speed of play even for a friendly match. After a few minutes though, we both calmed down and became more involved in the game. Jamie had a few chances to score and we think he was fouled in the box, but the referee didn't make the call. But the game had been a success and Hannover won 2-0.
All this excitement made for a long day, so it was back to the hotel to get some sleep before the next day's training.
