A DAY in the life of a professional footballer: He gets up at around 9.30am, arrives at the training ground at 10.

He goes out training at 10.30am until about noon -- sometimes even as late as half past.

Then he goes home. If he has a game that night, he might go home even earlier, to preserve his energy for the match.

Phil Eastwood spent three years in the 'perfect job' as a professional footballer, before being told he was surplus to requirements at Burnley.

Now playing at Morecombe in the Nationwide Conference, Eastwood's typical day now goes something more like this: He gets up at 5.30am, gets to work at Parcelforce at six.

He gets home at about 2.30pm and, if it is Tuesday or Thursday, has something to eat before setting off for training at Morecambe at about six.

He gets home at about 10.30pm -- and is up again at 5.30am.

"When I was a professional at Burnley people used to say to me 'You want to go and get a job and see what the real world is like'. And now I've done that I can understand what people were going on about!

"From a money point of view I'm earning quite well, but if I was doing just the job and nothing else, it would be a hard life.

"Only being a young lad at Burnley the wages weren't great. At Morecambe I had a good pre-season when I started off so that helped with their offer. It does me all right.

"I don't think there is much of a difference in standard between the second and third divisions. Being part-time is the only difference, having to work. "Training was work before."

Morecambe have already tested themselves -- and come out on top -- against Second Division opposition this season.

They beat Cambridge United in the second round of the FA Cup to set up a plum tie against Premiership Ipswich.

"I was watching the draw here at my wife's parents house. We are living here at the moment because we have sold our house but haven't found a new one yet.

"I was quite pleased to get Ipswich. Any Premier side would have been great. Obviously, there are bigger sides than Ipswich who you would prefer to play from a personal point of view.

"I would have liked to have played Everton, who I have supported all my life for some reason, but you can't argue with Ipswich."

Born in Whalley, Eastwood, who has a daughter Megan, who is two tomorrow, was on Blackburn Rovers' books as a schoolboy before joining the Clarets at 16.

He made his debut under Chris Waddle before Stan Ternent took over and he found himself out of a job.

"I played 20 games the season I left. I got on with the manager all right but I think he wanted to bring his own players in.

"You have to think now, with the players he has brought in, would I have been playing? You just don't know.

"Other players had said to me I would be all right, that he would offer me another contract. But it doesn't matter what the players thought, it was what he thought that mattered.

"I thought there is no point me sitting round there playing in the reserves the age I was.

"But it was dfficult trying to find another league club to take me on. "Luckily, Dave Miller, who was the assistant at Morecambe, rang me up and asked me if I wanted to go and train with them.

"It was perfect really because it is not too far to travel."

Now into his second season with Morecambe, and currently their top scorer with seven goals, Eastwood is hoping the FA Cup run could be the springboard back into League football.

"If I keep scoring goals, it can't do me any harm. People always want goalscorers.

"Morecambe is a good club and there's talk of going full-time soon.

"There are about eight or nine full-time clubs in the Conference and they are talking about having two teams promoted.

"We have a lot of good players at Morecambe. It is a young squad, and if we can keep hold of the players we could be up there. We finished third last year but we've had a bit of a bad time this year."

Morecambe were 14th in the Conference before today's games, but only one thing was on the minds of the players and fans: FA Cup third round day.

"We had a training session yesterday and the national press and TV went up. I couldn't go because I was working but they reckon the game is going to be a sell-out, six or 7,000 and it's going to be on Match of the Day again.

"It is different. We usually average 1,500 or so and it's a bit of a buzz when you get there and the cameras are there. "We'll just go out there and play. No one is expecting us to win are they?"

But the players are hoping to put themselves in the shop window.

"My wife, Louise, would love me to get back into League football, she wants me to do as well as I can.

"She wants to move away, she'd love to move abroad.

"I just want to go back full-time, and play as high as I can. I played a lot of games in the Second Division and I know there is no reason why I can't go back there."

And then he can start enjoying the 'perfect life' once again.