A bag of broccoli for my pains Early Monday morning and I'm sat at home on my sofa with a frozen bag of broccoli on my ankle - no work for me today. Yesterday was the final day of my indoor football season, it was the finals of the spring season play-off's. We came 2nd in the league table losing just one game in 9 but of course in good Yankee spirit the league then finishes off with two weeks of play-off games. Unfortunately for the team that finished the league season top and unbeaten they didn't walk away with the winners prize because we did beating them 2-1 in a fast paced and punchy final. Unfortunately I sat the majority of the game out after turning my left ankle over in the semi-final before. And bloody-hell does it hurt.

After the exuberence of winning ended when I got home, I realised that my ankle had swollen to the size of a tyre. Various frozen veg was used to bring the swelling down before I had a very uncomfortable night's sleep.

It has got me seriously reconsidering my 'soccer' career. As my ice-nurse said to me last night - maybe it's time I took up golf!

I love the team I play in, and am going to miss the great group of people when we move to Bermuda. I've played 'soccer' ever since I got here in late 2003, but this team which formed 2 years ago and named after the birthplace of my mate and the team's manager - Bari FC, has been very successful and a load of fun. However I am the oldest in the team by 10 bloody years. One of the boys, aged 29, was bemoaning his old age last night in the car journey home!

Enquiries have led me to believe I can still play footie for fun in Bermuda, and I think it will be more of a veteran crowd as opposed to our group of late 20-something ex-college players. But I don't know, my ankles have been weak for a number of years and it is playing havoc with my dancing career! We'll wait and see how this broccoli works out today.  ¶ 09:47