IT WAS with some trepidation that the Watford coach pulled away from London Colney on Thursday lunchtime heading for Heathrow - but the fears had nothing to do with the huge amount of work facing all the players and staff on their pre-season training camp in Austria.
The Hornets' flight was scheduled to depart from the infamous Terminal 5 at Britain's busiest airport - and the newspapers on the very day of departure were full of stories of how the cursed new facility was still losing 1,000 items of luggage a day.
Considering the amount of equipment and kit that habitually travels with Watford on these occasions, most of it of vital importance and significant value, it was an enormous relief to land in Munich and immediately be able to account for every single bag, box and crate!
The day had started well with the whole squad put through their paces in better weather than Wednesday's dismal autumnal dreariness with Will Hoskins looking particularly sharp as he builds his fitness and conditioning in preparation for a new stab at life in the Championship.
After lunch in Hertfordshire, the party journeyed to Munich where they were met by a coach which took them on to their final destination just over the border in Austria.The location was spectacular with a well-appointed hotel giving breathtaking views all across the surrounding Alps, some of which were still snow-capped despite the scorching mid-July temperatures.
Once the players and staff had settled into their rooms, everyone gathered together for dinner before the players all retired to their quarters for the night, making sure they chalked up a solid night's sleep to get the journey out of their systems and would be fresh for the first training session early on Friday morning.
After the players had gone, Aidy sat with his staff around him to add the finishing touches to the plan for the ten-day trip, consulting with coaches Martin Hunter, Malky Mackay and Alec Chamberlain and taking soundings from Conditioning Coach Martyn Pert and Physio Andy Rolls who were pleased to report a squad in great shape with no significant injuries.
Today sees the first training session on Watford's first full day in Austria. Be sure to check out their progress on www.watfordfc.com.
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