Ball boys, Barca and two beauties from Baz (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Ball boys, Barca and two beauties from Baz

10:37pm Friday 25th July 2008

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I've come to the conclusion that ball boys have it easy.

Getting off their stool to run a couple of yards, pick up the ball and throw it back to the nearest player. Pah, it's child's play!

They should try doing the job at training, where there's no conveniently-placed seats to stop a wayward shot going too far.

I was requisitioned for the task when City were being put through their paces at the University of St Andrew's last week.

Just up the road, Barcelona were all fenced off from the general public. But the steel cage around their training pitch also acted as an effective way of keeping the footballs close at hand.

Not so, though, for City who played to a scenic backdrop of woodland.

And it was into this woodland that I was regularly sent scurrying as the balls flew anywhere but between the posts. I'm sure some were doing it on purpose.

Scrambling over the rickety fence and then through the stinging nettles and overhanging prickly things for the tenth time in an hour, I did wonder how it had come to this. But at least I've got the scratches to prove I was there if anyone wants to query the petrol expenses!

I managed to catch a quick glimpse of Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry and Alexander Hleb strutting their stuff. Interestingly, Jakes pointed out that Barcelona put on exactly the same eight v eight training session that City had just done.

And my sources tell me that most of Messi's crosses flew harmlessly over the bar. Although not, I hasten to add, into the wild jungle which was reserved just for Bradford City footballs.

But I can report that the best two goals scored at training this week were both notched not by Messi or Henry but by our very own big Baz.

Conlondinho beat Rhys Evans all ends up with one cracking volley into the top corner and then a rising drive which threatened to knock the stanchion off. Unfortunately for him, I don't think Barca's scouts were watching.