ONE of the things you have to get used to in football is the amount of time you spend travelling up and down motorways.

Today we play at Blackpool and it means we have had to manage our time carefully because we were also away at Accrington on Tuesday evening.

I thought it might be interesting if I talked you though our week, so you can see the logistics involved.

Last Saturday we played Peterborough at home and then came in the following day for training, with the midweek game in mind.

It is more about the correct recovery when you train the day after a game.

Our analysis team had worked through the night to get us the videos to look back at Saturday’s game and prepare thoroughly for Tuesday.

On Monday we were in for training again, including our scheduled press call before the game.

We travelled north the following morning, had a walk to stretch our legs and then rested up before our pre-match meal.

Obviously, given the season we have had, something was certain to go wrong – in this case Ahmed Kashi becoming ill and having to drop out of the starting XI at the last minute.

All credit to Luke Garbutt, who wasn’t going to be involved because we have six loanees and can only name five in a matchday squad.

Luke jumped straight in his car and met us at the hotel and I was pleased to see him get his reward with his first goal for the club later that evening.

Sleep is a massive thing for players’ recovery so we changed things a little and stayed in a hotel on Tuesday night.

This meant the lads got a good night’s kip rather than sitting on the bus for four or five hours looking at the roadworks on the M6!

That meant we could train up north on Wednesday and travel home in our own time later on.

Thursday was a recovery day and then we were back on the bus first thing yesterday to beat the traffic, get to Blackpool and train up there before staying over to get ready for today’s game.

We have tried to make things work to our advantage and hopefully the different routine will bring a change of fortune on the road.

THERE was another game last night when our under 23 side played at Molineux against Wolves.

What a fantastic experience for them to play at a big ground like that under the lights.

Many of them played for our under 18 side at Turf Moor when we faced Burnley in the FA Youth Cup earlier in the season as well and they were buzzing from that.

There is a gap between under 23 football and playing in the first team.

Sometimes I watch friendlies and understandably there just isn’t the same intensity about a match played on a deserted training ground.

How could you match playing at a famous old ground in a game that both sides needed to win to get though in the Premier League Cup?

The result is not the be-all and end-all though – it is all part of those players’ development and another important part of what we are building for the future of the club right now.