Express & Star

Wolves in Alicante: Nathan Judah's tour diary - Day 10

The tenth and final day started with a real bang! A serious bang! A bang of epic proportions!

Published
Tour Diary

Unfortunately, the bang was Liam's head against a lamppost in the early hours of the Benidorm morning.

The lamppost was declared the outright winner as the young lad walked sheepishly into the apartment with me waiting on the other side to greet him as the concerned Dad.

Now let's rewind a little to the end of the previous day...we attended evening training and were lucky enough for Bruno to sit down with us and talk about pre-season and what areas he's concentrating on with the squad.

Five minutes of his time would have been great, ten..incredible - Bruno Lage sat with us for 45 minutes - it was a real privilege to listen how his mind is working and his attention to detail.

Wolverhampton Wanderers Pre-Season Training Session

LK: It's brilliant to have moments like this - how many clubs or managers would do something similar? It was great to pick Lage's brains and see how detailed his approach is.

Following training Liam fancied a couple of drinks close to the strip so I dropped him off and went back to the apartment - I'm getting old these days - last Saturday was enough for me.

Fast-forward to the moment he came through the front door - I had just finished my breakfast - not 5am, not 6am, not 7am, but 8.15am - I can only applaud the energy of the lad!.

Apparently it wasn't entirely his fault, he would have been back 90 mins sooner if he hadn't got lost THREE times.

LK: There's not much I can add to this...other than to say, Benidorm you've been great but I'm officially retired from the strip.

I on the other hand was bright eyed and bushy tailed for my three-hour fantasy premier league draft with nine other friends back in the UK.

I ended up with four Wolves players - Kilman, Semedo, Podence and Neto - as you do!

Fantasy Premier League draft notes

I had promised Liam his first ever speedboat trip for having a strong pre-season.

But when I walked to the water-sports centre and contacted Keeno, he was dead to the world - four missed calls, fours whatsapps, it wasn't happening.

So I gave him a one hour window and plonked myself at a bar close-by and asked if any fans fancied a free beer within the hour.

I'm sure most were well into the a bucket of Cerveza or two at the Red Lion, but it was lovely to see five of you wander in.

Pre-match entertainment

3pm - Time up Liam, I'm going without you - and in hindsight maybe 30 mins riding waves at 40mph may not have been the best hangover cure!

It was a hell of a lot of fun though and a great way to spend the afternoon before the game with Besiktas.

Did I mention it was the hottest day of the year here? Yep 37 degrees as we entered the stadium - just what my partner needed!

LK: Shock, it was definitely not what I needed.

And straight away there was a friendly face in the foyer - a fist bump with Romain Saiss (now of Besiktas).

Saiss Saiss Baby!

Unfortunately he was injured so couldn't play in the game although that might have been a blessing in disguise if there was a 50/50 ball to be had!

A cracking win and more goals and exciting interplay. And two of my fantasy players got on the scoresheet!

It's been a fantastic ten days - I can't thank Wolves enough for their access - I know we keep mentioning it, but seriously, look at every other football club, very few get these privileges.

The players, the coaching staff, the media team and in particular, Head of Media Max Fitzgerald, Senior Content Manager Josh Power and Media Relations Executive Jack Walker.

We really hope you've enjoyed all the breaking news, interviews, tactical pieces, video's, match coverage, podcasts and of course the diary.

Let's do this all again in Portugal next week baby!

LK: To be honest, this trip could hardly have gone any better. As Judah says, the access from Wolves was outstanding and we're grateful. It also means that we can bring plenty of content to supporters - it's a win win! Portugal will be a quick, whirlwind trip but I'm looking forward to it - it'll be a new country to tick off my list too.