This flight was an eight-hour journey but one I made quite eagerly to meet up with the Welsh squad ahead of the game versus the
Netherlands in Rotterdam.

I met up on Friday with the squad who had travelled directly from Iceland after winning 1-0 in the friendly on Wednesday night.

We knew this would be a very difficult match for us as the Dutch prepare for the European Championships which start this weekend. We had a tough training session on Saturday morning on what to expect from them and to try and work on limiting them chances during the game.

Game day arrived and the prospect of playing in front of 40,000 fans was something that you had to be excited by. We had a small army of Welsh fans, about 150 of them who were also in full voice.

Their team included players such as Ruud van Nistelrooy, Wesley Schneider, Rafaal van der Vaart, and Arjen Robben, so we knew it would be tough. The game started at an intense pace and we knew that if we could keep it quiet for 20 minutes then that would be a good start.

We managed to do this although they had a number of shots but all from long range. Our keeper Wayne Henessey made a couple of crucial saves, and we had a lot of excellent blocks.

As we were nearing the half time whistle we conceded a goal as Robben ran through from 40 yards to roll in a left-foot effort into the bottom corner. This goal gave them massive confidence as the stadium erupted and the sea of orange was quite a sight.......

They then created two more chances before half time in the space of two minutes. This shows what a quality side they are as they cranked up the pressure within such a short space of time.Half time came and I came off for a rest. This had been planned before the game but even as a senior player I was desperate to play against the Dutch.

A young lad came on to gain some experience in big games in preperation for the World Cup qualifying campaign ahead.

We then conceded another goal to a brilliant free kick from Schneider who plays at Real Madrid.

In all fairness they could have scored four or five goals, although Craig Bellamy, who played the last 20 minutes after returning from injury, nearly scored twice and the game could of ended up 2-2.

With such a young squad this was a encouraging result ,especially as I remember the last time Wales played Holland with the likes of Saunders, Speed, Hughes, Giggs and Blake in the team.

This was a more experinced squad but the Dutch beat them 7-1, so our result wasn't too bad in light of that.

Someone asked me after the game did I think that the Dutch could win the Euros? I said that they have the attacking prowess, but defensively I think they can be got at, but think they could go quite far in the tourament.

This brings me onto the euro which start this weekend.

As a footy fan, this is a great spectacle as the top players demonstrate their skills on the world stage. What is unforntunate is that this time around none of the home nations managed to make it through as this brings a extra reason to watch the games.

Personally, I think it will be a tough Euros and I cannot see an underdog like Greece winning it this time.

With teams such as Germany, France, Italy, Holland, Spain and Portugal in it, who can you class as favourites?....... After playing against a lot of these teams I cannot see past Germany or Spain (I predict this to be the final), but as an
outside bet keep an eye on Romania or Croatia. A football fest lies ahead.

This week we travel to Houston Dynamo, the MLS champions from the last
two years, so we know this will be a tricky match.

Finally, I'd like to say congratulations to my pal Robert Earnshaw who
has sealed a move to Notts Forest. They are a terrific club, and I really hope he can get that smile back on his face that he used to have when playing!!!!

One thing's for sure, he's a top player who will score goals, so don't be suprised too see him top the goal charts next year in the Coca Cola Championship.