Off to Joenseu

Well I desperately need to start packing as my club heads west for a match against Jippo in Joenseu. Jippo knocked us out of the cup after we dominated the match but let in two very soft goals. We hit the post 4 times, but as happened a bit too often we lacked that scoring touch. That has definitely turned around recently as we have managed two injury time winners in a row. Every game is a big game with the top of the table so tight, but I am confident we'll come home with 3 points. We're riding high, and Jippo just isn't a very good team. I think I will be starting in wing midfield. I've played most of the year as a full back, but I think midfield might suit a bit better. I have struggled defensively at times this year. Actually, I've just struggled all year. Not how I wanted to start my career in Finland, but I am confident I can turn things around. Training has been going much better for me, and I think I am finally settling here in Rovaniemi, which will help my play.

We will travel by bus, which will take about 9-10 hours. Being so far north means we always have long away trips. But driving through the Finnish country side isn't all that bad. There are some absolutely gorgeous lakes that we travel through. The country side is dotted with them. The only problem is that the scenery never really changes. It's beautiful yes, but its the same for the whole trip. This is my first venture to Western Finland though, so perhaps there will be something new for me. It will be interesting to see how many supporters we get. So far there has been a loud collection at every away match whether its 5 or 6 or 10-15. I love our fans, the best in the league by far! No matter where we are they are the loudest. Well I've gotta run, I'll be posting a few articles on soccer culture over here in the next few days so look forward to that!