I start this week's blog by congratulating those boys who have recently been given their first professional contracts. They have all done well to achieve them and know that the hard work starts from now. The gap between playing youth team football and playing in the first team is massive, and for the current second years, next year will go one of two ways for them.
Matt Parsons, who was also rewarded with a pro contract has done especially well as he was the last player to be offered a scholar at the end of the under 16 season. It shows he's come a long way in his two year apprenticeship and it shows how quickly things can change and how well he has done to get one.
There is no bitterness towards the boys who have got one; we are all genuinely pleased for each other. The youth team has a strong bond and on the whole we all get behind each other. Three of the back four have been offered professional contracts which shows you how well our defence has done, and why I've struggled to get a look in.
On a personal level, my hamstring feels like it's getting better and is starting to get stronger. I have done a lot of hamstring strengthening exercises in the gym so hopefully it is starting to pay off and it will be okay for the remainder of the season. As you have seen with Danny Butterfield, hamstring's can be nightmares.
You may recover well within a couple of weeks, but then out of the blue it may just go again even though you think it was okay. I need to keep on top of all the hamstring exercises to make sure it doesn't go again.
There is not long left of the season now, and I'm hoping to get more game time in our remaining few games. It's been a very frustrating season and whether I should be or not, I am already looking to next season. This season has just been one problem after another, so I'm looking forward to getting it out the way and starting a clean slate for the 2010/2011 season.
As it has been half term for the schools, the under 16's have been training with us for their two week break.
The gap between under 16 football and youth team football is huge, and for some of the boys it will be a big shock to them when they are in full time next year. At the moment they are in one day a week and probably think we lead a relatively easy life. On their 'work experience' they come in one morning a week, have a training session and then go to school for the afternoon. It's not as easy as that at all.
There are lots of jobs to do and plenty of surprises sprung upon us. Even at this late stage in the season, I am leaving my house at 7:30am and not getting back until half five on some days.
In the context of a 'usual' 9-5 job it probably doesn't seem that bad, but for 16 year olds having to leave the security of their schools where all is comfortable, to working full time in a very grown-up environment in such a short space of time can be hard. They think they know what it will be like, but they have no idea.
The last thing to talk about in this week's blog is about the work we do with a company called InnerDrive.
InnerDrive are a company that provide "mindset and mental strength training for Professional Footballers and teams who want to perform to their maximum under pressure".
They come in once a week and talk to us as a team, usually with a presentation, on a different topic. One week it may be about dealing with failure, and the next about what you can do in training to really push yourself and maximise your ability. From a personal point of view I feel I have benefited from them coming in, and I am now much more aware of how simple things can change the way you perform.
The way you talk to yourself and deal with certain situations can have huge implications for the rest of your training session or for the rest of your match. They are very strong on self belief, and training your mind to not ponder on mistakes and things you can't change. You have to 'control the controllable's' and not waste time and energy on things you have no control over. All you can do is have an influence.
Not only does it help on the football pitch, but everything can be applied to everyday life and can be used away from football. There website is www.innerdrive.co.ukif you are interested in reading a bit more about them - I would highly recommend it.
Dan's blogs will continue throughout the season on www.cpfc.co.uk and you can read all of his earlier entries by clicking here.
Dan's Blog has been written in conjunction with League Football Education. For other Apprentice Blogs please visit www.blog.lfe.org.uk.
