Otago's youth development side has returned from another eye-opening tour of Northern Ireland and participation in one of world football's great tournaments.
The thrill of seeing junior sides from glamour clubs such as Manchester United and Liverpool was quickly replaced by the need to focus on being competitive on the pitch in Coleraine.
In pool play, Otago beat County Tyrone 3-1, drew 0-0 with Gold Coast Academy, and suffered losses to Bohemian FC (3-0) and CSKA Moscow (3-0).
That led to a place in the shield final of the premier section, where Otago was beaten 1-0 by County Fermanagh.
''I thought we should have done a wee bit better this time. We dropped a couple of games we should have won or possibly drawn,'' coach Mackenzie said.
''It's strange. Over the years, it seems the Wednesday game is a killer for us. Possibly the effects of the travel and other things just snowball.''
Otago missed a penalty against CSKA Moscow, and would have taken a 3-1 scoreline, Mackenzie said. The Russian side later took Manchester United to penalties in a semifinal.
Results were important but not the only factor in a debrief of the tour, Mackenzie said.
''The boys are still bubbling. They learn so much from experiencing this level of competition.''
No-one in this part of the world plays the sort of football we experience on these tours. That's why we take them over.''
We encounter boys who have played so much football, who see things evolving on the field and position themselves to combat or exploit it straight away. Often, our boys are waiting to see what happens, and then making a decision.''
It's just a whole new ball game. The skill level we see over there is unbelievable. It allows our young lads to test themselves and see what they need to get to the next level.
''Some will be scared off by it. But others will come back and be prepared to put the work in to make that next step.''
A top performer for Otago was centre back Peter Coates and goalkeeper Josh Dijkstra also had a solid tournament.
The scale of the event was brought home to the youths when the march past was held through the town.
The crowd was ''four or five deep'', and about 5000 fans were waiting in the stadium, Mackenzie said.
Before the Milk Cup, Otago had warm-up games in England. One was against a talented Ghanian youth side, the Right to Dream Academy, which has links to Manchester City.
Otago got to play on the training grounds of the English Premier League champion.
''They had four grass pitches that were just like billiard tables,'' Mackenzie said.
''We walked into the centre and we had an ice bath and a spa pool, side by side, with the training regime written up on the wall. And all the boys got a pair of Manchester City shorts and socks.''
The tourists also went to the red side of Manchester, for a tour of Old Trafford.
