After the great start to the competition on Monday the mood around the camp at breakfast was, as the players would say, buzzing.

Both teams knew that a second win would put them a long way towards achieving their pre-tournament goal of finishing in the top four of their respective competitions.

For the Under-15s it was another tightly packed morning of food, pre-match meetings and travel ahead of their noon kick-off against Queen of the South.

However for the Under-17s, who don’t play until the late afternoon in the Premier Section, the wait for their game must have seemed endless.

The ability to rest before and after matches is something which the coaching staff value very highly and should members of the squad go on to league and European football, with midweek kick-offs,  experiences like the one this week will stand them in good stead.

The Under-15s were playing a few miles away in Ballymoney and all members of the party made the trip to the Riada Stadium to lend support.

As it turned out it was a case of, excuse the cliché, 'one of those days' for Brentford’s Under-15s.

Queen of the South entered Brentford’s half three times and left with three goals while a fleet of black cats must have crossed the path of Brentford’s bus on the way to the game as they found every way possible not to score.

All credit must go to Queen of the South for the way that they defended and put bodies on the line for the win but if it was a boxing contest it would have been stopped long before the bell.

Defeat for the Under-15s now means it will be very difficult for them to make the top four of the Junior Section but a win against County Down on Wednesday should see them into the top eight to take part in the Globe competition.

The next port of call for the squad was Portrush for the Under-17s game against County Fermanagh.

Driving to most matches you tend to see a lot of tarmac, plenty of other cars and a fair few buildings.

Taking the coastal round from Bushmills to Portrush all that you saw were wide open fields, white sandy beaches, some spectacular coastline and the remains of the 13th century Dunlace Castle.

The entrance to Portrush also passes alongside the Royal Portrush Golf Club, voted the 12th best golf course in the World and (Quiz Question alert) home course of three Major Championship winners (slightly beyond the talents of a few members of The Bees Milk Cup staff).

One thing is guaranteed playing at Portrush, that if you are playing an Irish side you will most definitely know it.

The crowd got behind County Fermanagh from the off but eventually Brentford managed to take control and in the end ran out very convincing 5-0 winners.

Despite being a partisan crowd, they were a knowledgeable crowd and it was clear from passing comments that the locals were very impressed with the performance of The Bees.

That win means that a win against Benfica on Wednesday will guarantee that The Bees qualify for the Cup competition.

It is at this stage of the week that the uniqueness of the Milk Cup begins to take its toll and the work of the Physios and Sports Scientists takes on even more importance.

On this trip Brentford have brought two physios in Lewis Johnson and Rob Sibley, plus Strength and Conditioning Coach Byron Chowles.

Byron has been in charge of making sure that the players are warmed up before every match but also that they are eating and drinking the right things to prepare them for the next day.

Lewis and Rob have set up camp in the Conference Room and a steady stream of players are worked on every day to negate the effects of the game.

Also at their disposal is the local swimming pool which was where both squads went after their games for a recovery session.

After both sides had gone through their work it was back to the hostel for a late dinner and a few last minute pieces ahead of tomorrow’s matches.

Despite their defeat the Under-15s remained upbeat, no doubt helped by the mood of the Under-17 squad.

Once the players had gone to bed it was again time for the coaches to start pouring over match footage and making preparations for another big day at the Milk Cup.

To have one side reach the Cup and one the Globe at one of the most prestigious international youth football tournaments in the world is the aim, and who’d bet against it happening!