The weeks are becoming more familiar, the town is more familiar and the results are more familiar too. It was another very productive week for me. Consistent training each day, and most often twice a day too. The gym has been serving me well, and the weather dried up a bit which allowed me to get out on the field and do some ball work, which is always needed. I have been able to attend yoga classes twice a week and they have been great for recovery but also general flexibility and well-being. I can feel progress each session and there are some areas that I hope to continue to work on and progress for my own benefit.
We also got a few hours of work training in at the bar which was nice to get that ball rolling. And on Wednesday, I headed into town to view the annual light and lantern festival. The streets were filled with thousands of people and various groups from the community, mostly school children, paraded down with hand crafted lanterns. There were some very im
pressive ones. And what could be said to be the highlight of the night was when all the Christmas street lights were finally turned on in Truro. The town just lit up, and now whenever you’re in town after dark, there are always lights hanging across the streets and down the buildings.
It was another week of lots of media, with the story of two kiwis traveling thousands of miles to live in a caravan and play non-league football hitting the headlines. The story was featured on BBC Sport and The Sun also picked it up. Lots of exposure which is just what we want in our quest to hopefully be seen by the important people and we can progress in the English ranks. The links are on my press page. With this increase in press, I have become more active on twitter. Feel free to follow my account as the journey continues. And to top it all off, we were invited into BBC Cornwall Radio studios on Friday to be on air for 20 minutes. Zane, myself and Peter, the clubs chairman, were there and had an enjoyable time. The link to the radio interview is here, and the start time of our time on air is at 2.07.03
Our team trainings have continued to develop and become more structured and purposeful. There is an increased intensity at training and a desire to achieve which is great. And on top of this, both nights I was able to stay behind and do extra work to continue my learning and development. Rory had watched me closely in the game last Saturday and had a few key points of feedback to share. I was then able to review on the film to understand each situation better and on Thursday night we practiced the areas needing improvement. The process was very good, and to be able to receive immediate feedback from both Rory and Hodgey was very helpful. Every little bit of improvement is so key to my development, which will hopefully allow me to continue to rise through the ranks.
Our game this weekend was the third round qualifier for the FA Trophy, which is a cup for Non-league teams. We played against Frome Town, who a few of my friends that I have made in football have played for previously, so a familiar team name at least. They are in the league below us, but were a decent side. The score didn’t fully reflect the game too much, as we just took our chances and they didn’t, however they didn’t have too many decent chances. We were clinical and won 6-1, which could have been more. Very disappointed to have conceded the one goal, as a clean sheet is always nice, but the back line once again was very solid. We are becoming more comfortable with each other and the roles we play which is important to allow for the trust to develop between each other. As always, there is room to improve. In terms of my individual performance, I was much happier with how I played this week compared to last week. I was able to apply some of my learnings in certain areas of my game and that made me more solid and effective. A positive performance for sure.
As always, my Sunday morning run took me on a little adventure, this time along a long single lane country road past many paddocks and farms. Home is never too far away! The rest of Sunday wasn’t anything special with more recovery and rolling out and a fair bit of relaxing too!
great for the body and just what was needed after a long week of training.
ll ever be any consistency to it as winter progresses. I wouldn’t mind a little more sunshine, even if the air is crisp.
as a good feeling to have as we embarked on our long journey home. Personally, it was another game of learning, continuing to understand my new position and using my judgement on the field in certain situations. At times, I struggled, but now that I am aware of most of it, I can look back at the video and really see how my performance was. The game just showed what a team that fights together till the end can really do, and it took all of us to make sure we took those 3 points home.
A lot can change in a week. Finally based in Truro, I was able to find my way around, do some errands and just get a feel of the city. It is a lovely wee town and will certainly be a nice place to wander round and spend time. During the day, Zane and I went across to the club to see one of the groundsman, Ron. We had a good chat with him and then spent the evening at his place for dinner with him and his wife. A lovely home cooked meal is always a treat, and some great conversation and stories.
h it as we brought home 3 valuable points with us. Whitehawk’s pitch was unbelievable. It was on the biggest slope ever and I’m not sure how that is up to FA standards, and of course it was freezing and raining and windy, so a top result in those conditions. It certainly made for a happier bus ride home, and I finally had to sing a song as my team initiation. A trusty song that everyone knows, Your Beautiful by James Blunt was my choice and it got the boys going!
A nice surprise, however I know that I am only just getting settled and there is lots of improvement and development still need for me to get to where I want to be. Nonetheless, the recognition of a good performance is always nice. It was just lovely to return to what I can call home now after the game and relax and recover!
ded by cameras, so a little difficult to use them. The trail I continued to run was lovely and a nice little discovery. The rest of my afternoon was casual with a bit of shopping and then Zane and I headed down to the Primary School park to pass a ball around and just shake the legs out. I cooked the first full meal in our new home, which was spaghetti bolognese. Turned out great. And sadly, the Quinnipiac Men’s Soccer team season came to an end today as they lost in the final of their conference championship. A great season but just couldn’t get over the hurdle.
ately lost 4-2. It was another long journey home and I made sure I stretched at each stop we made just to ensure my recovery was on track after playing my first full game in about 2 months. It was great to get going, and hopefully we can build on the performance as a team and begin to turn the results around. On Sunday, Zane and I packed up our stuff and headed to the train station to head to Truro. We were finally in the town that we would be settling, so that was a nice feeling. We got a good recovery training session in that evening and we were ready for the next week.
Erik Panzer 