Finn's diary.

[AyrUtdAcademy]

On Friday 3rd August Finn Ecrepont was named in Brian McLaughlin's Scotland Under-17s squad for two friendly matches against Russia in Spain on Sunday 19th August and Tuesday 21st August.  During the trip Finn kept a diary which is detailed below:

Finn Team Scotland

Thursday 16th August

Early on Thursday morning we flew out to Alicante airport in Spain, then jumped on a bus and arrived at the Thalasia costa de Murcia hotel currently, it was 31 degrees and gave us a taste of the heat to come. The manager then gave us 20 minutes to pick 3 captains who, throughout the week, would speak to the manager and tell him how the team was feeling. That afternoon the players asked to do a light training session, so we could get use to the heat for later days. As a team we then realised how important it would be to look after yourself off the pitch as we became very tired and dehydrated due to the warm weather conditions.

Friday 17th and Saturday 18th August

Friday and Saturday, we trained well and had several meetings to discuss how we would play and how Russia would play.

Sunday 19th August

Game day, we woke up had breakfast then we had one last meeting before our game. This was when we found out the team and I found out I was started. I prepared the best I could and was looking forward to the game at the Pinatar Arena, the only annoying thing was the game was at night, so it was a long wait.

Although we hadn't played for a while together, the team spirit was good, and the boys were very confident before the game. We beat Russia 1-0 and kept a lot of possession. Personally, I was happy with my performance and as a part of the back 4, I happy not to concede.



Finn Scotland Squad

Monday 20th August

As I played the day before this was a recovery day which I spend in the swimming pool in the morning, which was freezing and then went a walk in the afternoon.

Tuesday 21st August

The second game was another late kick-off, so during the day we had a few team meetings to ensure we were ready for the game. This time I was a substitute, but I had expected this to be the case as I had played the day before and everyone deserved a start. The game was a bit scrappier than the first, but we managed to get a 2-0 win and I managed to get another 15 minutes which I was happy about.

Wednesday 22nd August

It was our last day but before we left the we had a meeting to recap our great trip away and people had to sing a song as a punishment for being fined. I had to sing with Big Fraser Stewart, the goalkeeping coach (we were the best) and it was a great way to finish such an amazing experience!

[weejoe]

Good on you Finn for taking the time to create this post.  Everyone at and associated with Ayr United are so proud that you have been selected for your country.  Well done mate !