Erik is delighted to be going from Oz to Aus

Andrew Forrester • Published 25 Jun 2009 14:00

ERIK Paartalu says he"s sick of aeroplanes but can"t wait to get back in the air for Morton"s trip to Austria.

The big Australian touched down back in Scotland last week after a four-week holiday Down Under to visit his family.

But despite the fact the jet-lagged star will be forced to board yet another flight to get to Ton"s summer training base in Obertraun, he reckons the trip is the perfect way to set up a successful season.

He said: 'I really enjoyed my holiday back home to see my family.

'My girlfriend is from Greenock and this was the first opportunity I"ve had to take her to Sydney.

'Having just got back after two long flights, the last thing I wanted was to step foot on another plane.

'But this is different as I think going to such a fantastic training facility will be great for the team.

'We train at the same place all year round so it"s nice to be able to get a change of scenery and be training up to three times a day.

'I"m really grateful to the club for organising it and I"m sure all the lads are looking forward to it too.'

Paartalu revealed that Morton gaffer Davie Irons really means business this season as he"s already had the players in for tough double sessions.

But the former Gretna ace is loving the hard work and hopes it can help the Cappielow outfit overcome a tricky first couple of months in the league.

He said: 'I think we"re the only club in Scotland to have so many away games in the first half of the season, with three coming in August.

'We"ve been back in training since Monday and the manager has been giving us a lot of ball work as well as fitness, which has made it much more interesting for the players. Tuesday was a really sunny day so we all enjoyed getting back into the swing of things in the heat.'

The 23-year-old was disappointed with the second half of last season as he found himself in and out of the team after sustaining an injury.

However, Paartalu says it"s made him all the more determined to force his way back into the starting 11 for the up-and-coming campaign.

He said: 'I wasn"t too happy with the way I finished last season. It was tough after starting many of the games at the beginning.

'Now I"ve set myself the target of staying in the team and even popping up with a few more goals. There was a good variety of scorers last season and I managed to get three in the league and bag one in the cup.

'If I can keep working hard and doing my best I"m sure I"ll get my reward of being in the team each week.'

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This article appeared in Greenock Telegraph 25 Jun 09

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