AFTER the pomp and glitter of a lavish official welcome party, Manchester City's Academy squad were getting down to the business end of their tour of Thailand today.

And the players, who are representing the city of Manchester while in south east Asia, were taking a giant leap into the unknown when against a Thai National Select X1 at Bangkok's Army Stadium.

Thai TV demands have forced the kick-off to be brought back to 3pm local time, the hottest part of the day in an already sweltering capital.

And Academy head coach Alex Gibson admitted that the twin challenge of playing in extreme heat and humidity against opposition the players and staff know nothing about will test his young charges to the limit.

"The key to the exercise is to see if we can win a game in testing temperatures against international opposition," said Gibson.

"You never know. Some of our young players could go in five or six years and find themselves facing a similar challenge at senior club or international level.

"Learning about the demands now can only stand them in good stead."

A lavish official banquet at the squad's hotel on Tuesday followed by a Press conference yesterday, only served to highlight the huge interest City's tour is generating.

And Gibson was concerned his players don't get carried away by the occasion and instead pace themselves carefully.

"We've been encouraging the lads to get as much rest as possible," he says.

Spot on

"We've made sure their pre-match preparation was spot on and during the game we will be stressing that they'll need to play at different tempos at different stages of the game.

"Obviously, where appropraite, we will look to press and go for goals but equally important will be the need to conserve energy and retain possession. The lads will need to be prepared to face the unexpected.

"It's a whole differnet culture over here and that could well be the case in the way Thailand play.

"We've brought 16 players out with us, some of whom are only 16, so it's going to be a great learning experience for them."

That message was echoed by City's Academy director Jim Cassell.

"It will be the ultimate learning experience for the boys," he said.

"The temperature, the crowd, live television coverage... all these factors will only add to these young lads' footballing education out here."

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