After our promotion winning season it is nice to be able to put my feet up and relax - for a few weeks at least.

I have just returned from Malaga in Spain where I have been with a few of the lads on a holiday we arranged before we secured our place in the Premiership.

Having had the season we have had we decided ‘why not?'

It was really nice and the weather was almost like in Bermuda with temperatures in the 80s. That made a change from back here in Manchester where you are lucky if it gets into the 60s!

We mainly went to unwind but some of the players had a good time...

Every now and then we reflected on the season and the goals we had set ourselves.

Before a ball was kicked I wanted to play as many games as I could and allowed myself to miss five matches. The games come thick and fast in the Nationwide League and if you get a knock you can find you have a game two days later and you don't have enough time to recover.

I didn't anticipate being suspended for a game, which came following my sending off against Stockport, but I still managed to achieve my aim.

The second target was to score 25 goals and I came away with 32, so all in all it was very pleasing.

Over the summer is when you start to analyse your season, and not being one to rest on my laurels, I will be thinking about not only where I have done well but also where I can improve.

The process has begun but it's a little too early to say anything at the moment. Over the next few weeks I will think things over and set myself some targets for the upcoming season in the Premiership.

We are due back at Maine Road on July 11, which is amazing. It is close to nine or ten weeks.

Normally, we have had around six weeks which I have found not to be enough. Your body tends to unwind after two weeks and then two weeks after that you are officially on holiday.

But two weeks after that your preseason is starting with some training at home! As you can see that is not a lot of time.

But nine or ten weeks is more than sufficient. For me it is just a case of letting my body really unwind and then do absolutely nothing.

Around five weeks before we are due back I will start a weight programme. If I leave it any longer and not do anything for eight to ten weeks it will only make it harder for me to get back in shape.

I tend to eat what I want when I am at home.

But with having so long away this year I will have to watch my intake because I don't want to put myself behind by putting on excess weight.

A player doesn't want to put on any more than six pounds really. If you do then you are giving yourself a lot of work to do to catch up and that can cost you in terms of your form in the early part of the season.

Anyway, with rest and relaxation in mind, I am going to sign off until we get back to business later in the year. I have enjoyed writing this column each week and hope you have enjoyed reading it and it has given you some insight into the life of a professional footballer.

Take care and see you next season.