Bristol Academy WFC

8 October 2011

Player Diary Day 3: Grace McCatty

It had arrived... The day we all had been waiting for and the reason we had made the trip to Russia. Today was one of the days that many of us as players had dreamt about, the opportunity to play European football.

You could feel the buzz surrounding the team as we met for breakfast, anticipation was high and we all were counting down the hours until 7:00pm.

Thankfully many of us had gotten over the shock of Dominos for breakfast and today bought the same treats as we all tried to load up on carbohydrates ahead of the game. A few players bought our their rations pack with Anouk supplying her essential item of Nutella and Alex supplying the peanut butter, Sio had even bought some bagels in case things got that desperate and for this meal they surfaced. It also appeared as a shock to many of the players that the restaurant staff appeared to be rationing the tea bags as we only ever got supplied with the minimal amount of breakfast tea, having to opt for summer fruits or green tea instead. Summer fruits tea with milk and sugar is apparently a rather pleasant drink... Just ask Jas! It was something she appeared to enjoy drinking! However I am assuming the restaurant hadn’t got the letter from the Queen explaining the English love of a cuppa! It’s one of our 5 –a-day...

A team meeting was followed by unit meetings as we went over the final crucial details of our game plan and ensured everyone knew their roles and responsibilities. The team was named and the excitement continued to build. We knew this was an opportunity to create history for our Club and to build on what had been a successful season so far. No-one one year ago would have ever imagined us a Club being in Europe, but we had got here. Not because of luck but because we deserved it. Because we had a group of players who believed in themselves and believed in each other. We had, not just a squad of players and staff, but a family of supporters cheering us on from back in Bristol. We wanted to do this for us. We wanted to do this for them.

An afternoon off Rest & Recovery followed as everyone spent time preparing in their own way. Before we knew it is was time for the ‘Last Supper’ or as it more commonly known our pre-match. A slight nervousness surrounded this meal as we were not too sure what to expect. Would we be getting just a chicken breast or maybe some potatoes and pasta would be on the menu. I was praying Shannon’s hand signals and explanation had broken through the language barrier and we may have successfully conveyed what was required for the meal! Only time would tell...

Thankfully I can say the message did translate across but maybe not in the way we would have expected. As we sat down for our pre-match we were presented with bowls of spaghetti – always a good start. Accompanying this we had bolognaise. It felt like we had hit the jackpot. We all piled up our plates and ate as much as we needed to. I felt ready – mind was focused, bag was packed and my stomach was full! But just as we had successfully navigated ourselves through the first plate of food the kitchen began to bring more out... We were all given a plate full with potato and chicken. Wow! After a day of strange meals we received two of our requested meals but at the SAME TIME!! It appears that when Shannon asked for potatoes, chicken and pasta, she meant as a buffet. Through the language barrier this translated that we would all like the above and that is what we got. On a positive note at least we got to eat some British looking food ☺

With a shady looking police car leading us, we boarded the bus and were escorted through the hustle and bustle of Voronezh traffic and to the ground. On arrival at the ground we were greeted by our Greatest Fan (I definitely think he deserves this title to say the least) who I was happy to see. My dad had made the trip out to Russia to support us and I was thankfully he had safely arrived... Something we nearly didn’t! Out came the Vixen’s flag and we displayed it with great pride on the side of the Stadium. Alongside it sat my dad, two hours early for kick-off but beaming with excitement for the game which was ahead.

It was nearly time and everyone literally couldn’t wait to play. An opportunity to progress through to the quarter-finals and an opportunity to achieve what we all believed was possible. Only 90 minutes stood between us and the next round...

 

 

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