FC St. Pauli

"I feel great," gushed Pyrka when we spoke to him. The 22-year-old full-back is coping very well with the high level of intensity at training camp and looks to be in great shape. The conditions are ideal ("The pitch and the hotel are on a very high level, and the views are wonderful, too") and Pyrka, on his first visit to Austria, is getting stuck in every day. "Training camps are always special because you're with the lads all day and can get to know them better," he said. "I've had a very good feeling from day one because I was made to feel really welcome. Everyone came up wanting to talk to me."

Most conversations are held in English, with one exception - with Adam Dźwigała he can speak Polish. "Adam has been helping me from the start, both in the dressing room and on the pitch," he explained. The dynamic full-back is giving his all on the training ground because he's keen to learn and wants to adjust to Alexander Blessin's playing philosophy as quickly as possible. "I really like the way we play, it's exactly my style," he continued.

Pyrka came to St. Pauli hoping to take the next step in his development. His main aim in the first three weeks has been to settle in quickly and familiarise himself with how things are done. He hasn't been 100% satisfied with his performances in the warm-up games against GW Firrel, SV Drochtersen/Assel, Silkeborg IF and Karlsruher SC, however. "We've analysed the games and there are things I want and need to do better," he said. "My positional play, for example, both on and off the ball." His positional play wasn’t too shoddy in the friendly against Karlsruhe, however. For when KSC keeper Aki Koch punched the ball clear, he was in exactly the right place to control it and rifle a shot into the net from just outside the box. "I was a bit lucky in that the ball took a deflection, but nevertheless I was delighted to score my first goal," he said.

The young Pole wasn't brought in to score goals, of course. As a full-back, his main job is to close down the defensive flank, but he's also expected to make his presence felt going forward, something he did so well over the last five years at Piast Gliwice in the Ekstraklasa that he caught the eye of clubs elsewhere. The Radom native made 155 competitive appearances in Poland's top division, an impressive number for such a young player. It would have been even more, had he not missed out in the second half of last season. In his career to date he has remained injury-free, so that was not the reason. Rather, it was his decision not to extend his contract in summer that led to him no longer being selected. "As a footballer, you always want to play. I had always played until then and suddenly that stopped. I didn’t always train with the rest of the team either. Sometimes I trained on my own. It was a difficult time for me and that's one of the reasons why moving abroad was a natural thing for me to do. If a Bundesliga club want you, it's an easy decision to make," added the full-back, who had always dreamed of playing in the Bundesliga one day.

Pyrka did get some playing time with Poland's Under-21 side in the first half of the year, however, because national team coach Adam Majewski continued to place his trust in him. "We stayed in touch throughout and I was happy when he called me up," said Pyrka, who made two appearances in March, scoring in the 3-3 draw with Denmark, plus another two at the UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Slovakia. After a two-week summer break, the full-back started a new chapter when he resumed training with the Boys in Brown.

Asked about his goals for the next few weeks, Pyrka said: "I want to work hard every day in training and improve as a player, and I can hardly wait to make my first competitive appearance." The DFB Cup tie against Eintracht Norderstedt, the first of the season at the Millerntor, is just over three weeks away. "I'll give it all I've got till then and then we'll see how the coach decides," he said.

Back in Flachau, the players have another two busy days in front of them, including the second friendly of training camp against OGC Nice, who finished fourth in Ligue 1 last season, on Saturday. "I'm expecting tough opposition and a high-intensity game," said Pyrka, who unsurprisingly is really looking forward to the matchup with the French outfit.

Photos: FC St. Pauli/Witters