So today was the first day of training, for me at least and I was beyond excited, but surprisingly I wasn't nervous.

I had a locker set up for me, #40 in the reserve side of the locker rooms. There was two separate locker rooms, one for reserves and one for starters. It felt like I was in there forever but around 10:20 we started walking out to the fields.

First of all, which was new to me, is that you're not allowed to wear your outside shoes within the club house. There is a separate room for the shoes you come in and there is a separate room for everyone's football boots.

On the way out we walked along rubber paths that snake throughout the fields, four total, but each field has three football pitches on it. And that is only a quarter of the land that Sunderland owns around the club house.

So I'm wearing my studs thinking that the pitches would be muddy and wet and of course it's a perfect carpet of grass. The first thing we do is fitness, the "3 fields run" which consists of running one lap around a total of 9 playing fields, then back around the opposite way, and finally a lap around just three fields. The best part was the hills inbetween each set of three that makes your legs burn that extra little bit. So we did that, I finished 2nd in my group a respectable time of 11:25 but in all honesty I should have done better.

Next we went into 5v2 with various restrictions which I thought I played well in. I played quickly and sharply and when I had to defend I defended well. Following that we went into a three team 12 v 6 game and my play dipped a little. We stayed in the three teams and then went to goal. My team played horribly and I wasn't pleased with how I played.

Finally we played a 9 v 9 game where I played better, but I was beginning to feel the run in my legs. I made a few good stops, played a couple of good balls but all in all I think the day was just ok.

After lunch and two hours of rest we go into the gym for weight lifting. The team was split into 2 groups, one doing 2 circuits of free weightlifting and the other doing boxing. Yea boxing. I started on the boxing, 4 rounds of three 30sec sets punching a medicine bag alternating with my partner. My arms have never hurt so much in my life, for a little while I thought I had somehow broken my shoulder and after that we go straight into the free weights.

I'm a little surprised I can type right now and tomorrow we have a 11 v 11 game so we'll see how that goes.

Scot.