We had a free week in terms of a competitive fixture last weekend but our closed-door match at Stenhousemuir certainly made up for that.
The club had tried to bring forward one of our festive fixtures but had no joy so we made the journey up to Ochilview and I've never known a "friendly" to leave me so sore and exhausted.
That said, it was an enjoyable match to play in and the 3-1 win made it all the more pleasing.
Both teams had a few first-team regulars missing and that perhaps played a part in adding a bit of an edge to the game.
We certainly had players in our side that were looking to put in a good performance and impress the watching manager. Harry might not like me saying this but you normally feel more relaxed before and during a friendly match.
Players might try things they wouldn't normally and you expect a little more time on the ball to lift your head and make your pass.
Saturday wasn't like that. I can't speak for everyone but I still had the nerves before the game and knew it was important.
Annan Athletic manager Harry Cairney
Both teams worked really hard, Annan especially, and I'm sure it was a decent game to watch for the few that managed to sneak in.
Obviously, the game was great for those players that haven't played too much at first team level recently but more importantly it gave Harry and Andy Aitken a chance to have a look at our new Spanish striker, Javier Amaya.
I've mentioned Javier before as he's been to a few training sessions with us now but this was the first chance he has had to play.
It must be difficult for any trialist going to a new club but you've got to admire Javier, especially when he doesn't even speak our language. He has come in to our group and joined in the fun and taken everything in his stride.
He's been laughing and joking with the rest of us; or maybe he's actually been laughing at us!
Big Rafa (that's been the most popular nickname; after Nadal) came in on Saturday and he must have impressed everyone watching.
He's got a great touch about him and once he gets used to the players and the players to him, he might just be that different option Harry is looking for up front.
I've not even mentioned his goal, and what a strike it was!
I think it says everything that all the players were round about him with their congratulations after he nearly took the net off. My only complaint is about his hair products, since my hand was covered after I patted him on the head.
Where Saturday might have been good, Monday's reserve game was just as bad.
We can maybe use the excuse that a couple of the boys were just back from holiday and there were players playing two games in three days, and even two playing on consecutive days.
The truth is though that there wasn't a good enough excuse for not even doing our basic jobs properly.
We lost goals that you'll probably never see in the same game again and ended up losing the match 3-2. Harry and Andy were not happy men at half-time and thankfully they put the onus on us after the match to save us another dressing down.
They asked us all to say positive and negative aspects regarding our performance and let's just say there weren't too many positives.
So, over the last couple of games I think there is a lot for us all to think about.
The manager and Andy gave us a couple of questions to answer about ourselves on Monday night so it's up to us as individuals and as a team to answer them.
Saturday is another big game for the club and with us not having the best of records against Albion Rovers we know we're in for a tough encounter at Galabank.
A win and we climb above our opponents who sit at the top of the division; that should be incentive enough.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/chrisjardine/2010/10/feeling_sore_after_friendly_wi.html
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