AUSTIN AZTEX will take on Stoke City little more than 30 hours after stepping off a flight from the United States . . . but that demanding prospect is nothing compared to some of their travel and playing schedules back home.

Head Coach Adrian Heath revealed that the Aztex spend hour upon hour on coaches or planes getting to their away matches in the USL-1 and often plan double-headers to try and cut down on the vast amount of travelling.

While his players are excited at the prospect of coming on tour and having the chance to play against a Premier League club, Heath revealed that they find it hard to comprehend just how easy it is for English clubs on the road.

"They cannot get a grasp of the fact that you can get to all the other Premier League grounds within three hours from Stoke, while there are probably 20 League clubs within an hour's drive of the Britannia Stadium," he said.

"Some of our away trips span three days and we often plan a couple of away matches on say a Thursday and a Sunday to cut down on travel if those opponents are located within a reasonable distance of each other.

"So to come to England and play a match the following evening, followed by a second 24 hours later, is nothing unusual for us."

He added: "To put it into perspective, when our Under-20 team reached the national finals last year they spent more than 13 hours on a coach before they left the state of Texas, and they still had some distance to go even then."

The tour of England will be a big test for a young and inexperienced squad, but Heath has no doubts about the dedication and commitment of his players and indeed many others aiming to raise the status of soccer in the States.

"Their devotion and enthusiasm for the game is remarkable," he stated.

"To give you an example, Clint Dempsey, who plays for Fulham now, used to do a three and a half hour round trip in an evening three times a week to train for 90 minutes each time, and there are plenty more cases of the same sort of dedication.

"My players have certainly shown that commitment and I know they will rise to this challenge because the trip is a great experience for them. They are excited about the prospect of playing against Premier League players."

City's match against their sister club takes place next Wednesday evening at Nantwich Town's Weaver Stadium (kick off 7.00pm) and it is the first of three matches which the Aztex will play on their 10-day tour of England.

They play Accrington Stanley 24 hours after the game at Stoke and then face Sheffield Wednesday on the following Tuesday.

*Tickets are on sale for the City-Aztex match from the Britannia Stadium Ticket Office, priced at £5.00 for adults and £1.00 for concessions.