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Pre Season,
A tour should be easy. Get there, play, stay, get back. Think again. !!!!
Getting 26 on a bus should be straightforward. After numerous head counts, we are off. With stops on the way to collect Neilly & "new signing,” Marc Smyth, we are away to Stranraer. Over on the Ferry & only 20 minutes to the hotel. This is where we learn - the Irish have no conception of time & distance.
Follow the Airport signs - we forget to tell Sam, the driver, that there are two airports so guess where we end up.
Once we are checked in & fed - time for the Quiz. With JD as question master, things can only go down hill.
Bearing in mind we have had a problem on the ferry with one player trying to change his cash to Euros & one in a panic because he thought he needed his passport, this should give you an insight to the problems JD may have.
Four teams battle it out and a play off between the two top.
The winning team is made up of, Willie McLaren, Stephen McKeown, and Marc Smyth, to name a few so we can guess there was a bit of "innovation" going on.
This could be a bad loser writing this, of course.
Up & away for Ballymena- only 25 minutes!! Yeah right - , 45 more like.
The game is best forgotten!! Several fans will forget too. Doubt they even knew we heard them though - singing from start to end.
We had an official reception in Belfast City Hall on Saturday night & made to feel very honoured. Food was fab too.
Sunday - a day of rest - well until 11.30am. We are reliably informed that the training facilities are a 5-10 minute run away. Yeah right! Seemed like an eternity.
We have a rest afternoon & Club Dinner at night.
The players have a light training session & then minds onto Glentoran. At least this was only 10 minutes from the hotel.
We played better but some nasty tackles marred the game & we finished the game with only 10 men as we had used all the subs.
The bus (or mobile hospital) back to the Ferry & we are homeward bound.
Memorable points have to be the “fashion“sense - and that was only the Chairman.
Roll on the County!
An Insider.
Update by Chris Mac | 
