Well, it all worked out very well. The boys managed fine, 13 goals for Bermuda against Montserrat, what a result!

On Saturday, I played against Sheffield United, scored a goal and got the win that keeps us in the play-off hunt. And then on Sunday I kept in touch with family and heard that we won by 13 goals.

That is a great result, I guess I won't be coming back for the second leg now!

Now we can look forward to the games against El Salvador.

It will be a little bit different down there, so going down to Central America beforehand is a good idea. It will be a good experience down there for them.

I have played against teams from there like El Salvador, Belize, Guatemala, Mexico and it can get pretty hostile.

When I say hostile, I mean the fans there will boo you all the time and try and put pressure on you but I don't think worrying about safety is an issue. When we went down there a few years back, we had the incident with bags of urine being thrown by the crowd, but none of it reached us ? although you did think about it when you were taking a throw-in or a corner. But I think things have changed now.

One of the big things the players will have to get use to is playing when you can't hear each others calls of 'man on' or 'turn'. As a professional it is something we get used to, but not being able to communicate will come as a shock to some of the players.

A tour down there is a good idea, the more games the better.

Bermuda is an Island that can have no excuses about preparation because it is so easy to get players together.

Because it is such a small place, if they want to get players together everyone can pretty much make it as they haven't got very far to travel ? not like in other countries where people have to come the length of the country or even from abroad.

For a World Cup campaign you really have to prepare properly, just having a handful of games isn't really sufficient ? not when some other teams in the region have played as many as ten or more and have been preparing for a couple of years for these games.

It will be quite interesting when the boys go down to Montserrat, I think they may even get more than 13.

Knowing these lads, they will be very relaxed and will be able to go out there and enjoy themselves and will be looking to knock in as many goals as possible.

They know their opponent now and I think we should be looking at a very big win down there.

* * * *

I was feeling a little tired after the Burnley game and said something to our sports science guy about feeling fatigued.

He obviously had a word with the gaffer because the boss took me aside at the beginning of the week and said he was going to just play one man upfront against Preston and was going to leave me on the bench.

He said he was reluctant to use me as he wanted me to be fresh for the games coming up ? and we have a few big ones all coming in a row.

You have to be professional about these things and accept the decision and the gaffer has been true to his word and given me a couple of days off this week to rest.

That is what I have been doing and now I am looking to come back on Saturday against Crystal Palace a little bit fresher and ready to get back on a playing and scoring roll.

We watched the DVD of the game on the way back from Preston and I don't think there was anything malicious about Lloyd (Owusu)'s tackle.

The two of us complement each other well and we have developed a good relationship up front. We will miss him when he is suspended, but I still think we should try and make his move to Reading permanent.

He is a good character to have around the place. He is bubbly and confident and I think he is good for team spirit.