Peter Gilham's Portugal Diary: Temperatures rise as players continue to work hard | OneFootball

Following the beach volleyball 'altercation' on Wednesday (as mentioned in my previous blog), the rest of the day went peacefully - and legally!

It was 'Downtime Day', so time was spent generally relaxing in whichever way one chose to relax. The evening, though, was one of those initiatives that makes Brentford pre-season training camps special.

The players are split into five groups, and each group is supplemented with a coach and one other member of the matchday staff. Places are booked at five different restaurants, and the evenings are then spent getting to know each other socially. Simple but a master stroke.

Thursday was back to the regular training routine in the morning, before returning to the hotel mid-afternoon. One training session is the norm one day prior to matchday.

That evening, dinner was brought forward as we had a lengthy coach journey to Braga to contemplate. Braga is some 240 odd miles from Cascais and was our overnight base prior to Friday evening's fixture versus Gil Vicente.

Friday dawned, and the prospect of temperatures in excess of 30 degrees suggested a relaxed day in preparation for the match.

We departed mid-afternoon for the 30-minute journey to Barcelos, known for its rich history, pottery and, of course, the mythical Barcelos Rooster. I won’t tell you the myth, which dates back to the 17th century, as you wouldn’t believe me if I did.

But if you want to know what the rooster looks like, a well-known South African fast food restaurant which specialises in Portuguese food has the Barcelos Rooster emblazoned within its very recognisable logo.

The match will have been well-documented elsewhere on this site, so I won’t waste your, the readers', time, detailing what you already know. Having said that, it’s interesting to note that Gil Vicente had been in pre-season training three weeks ahead of us.

However, I will share with you Keith Andrews' post-match thoughts. On talking to me the following day, he said he was acutely aware that he didn’t go to the die-hard Bees fans, who had travelled out to watch their heroes, post-match. It had been his vowed intention to do so.

But with the fielding of two separate elevens for the match and the post-match briefing that ensued, added to the concerns he had for Gustavo Nunes following his departure from the field, events unintentionally meant he didn’t fulfil his wishes, which he truly regrets.

Rest assured, knowing Keith as I do, it was never his intention not to recognise the fans' loyalty.

It then meant a long journey back to our base in Cascais, where we arrived back some four hours later!

Saturday, therefore, for all, was a late breakfast followed by a choice of pursuits which included golf, paddle boarding, fishing, or just free time. The most popular choice was golf.

I chose fishing, as did seven players, namely Rico Henry, Yehor Yarmoliuk, Michael Kayode, Jayden Meghoma, Yunus Emre Konak, Aaron Hickey, and Myles Peart-Harris.

It was almost man overboard before I even got onboard, as I missed my footing and narrowly avoided an early dip. But what an enjoyable time was spent by all. Apart from the multitude of talents 'Yarmo' (as he’s affectionately known by the players) has on the pitch, his fishing prowess far outshone everybody else!

Having said that, we managed an acceptable array of fish... I say we, as I and one other failed to make a single catch. But the entertainment value was right up there on a glorious sunny day.

The rest of the day was down to however people wished to use it, which was a mix of total relaxation, sunbathing, swimming and/or a wander into and through the charming narrow streets that make up this jewel on the Estoril coast.

Come Sunday morning, it was back to the routine of breakfast, then the 20-minute coach journey to the training base.

As the morning wore on, it soon became apparent that the temperature had racked up somewhat, which added to the intensity of the sessions which had been set by the coaches.

Water was taken on almost by the bucketload to stave off dehydration for all concerned. One full training session was deemed sufficient and, therefore, mid-afternoon, we returned to the hotel.

With evening dinner set for 7pm, it was timed to perfection as we were able to watch the conclusion of the Lionesses' magnificent achievement in retaining the European title they first won three years ago.