Graham Kavanagh ahead of the weekend
Manager Graham Kavanagh spoke to us about the helter skelter of another deadline day at Brunton Park and about the trip to Swindon at the weekend.
“It was an unbelievable day,” he said. “My phone was ringing from really early in the morning and things started moving along quite quickly.
“You have to keep your wits about you because all of a sudden you find that players you thought were done and dusted have fallen through, for whatever reason, and then other players you thought had slipped away were back in the fold.”
“I can only imagine what it’s like at the top level where you’re talking about deals worth really big money and the clock is ticking on it all,” he added. “Our club secretary Sarah [McKnight] told me that it was the closest she’s ever got to the deadline with the most amount of work still to do, so it looks like we’re breaking records all over the place.
“It’s been a huge learning curve for me and another new experience within this job, but I have to thank the club again for the backing I’ve been given. I just hope the players produce the goods and that we all reap the benefits.”
Looking ahead to tomorrow, he said: “Swindon are a good side and they always give us a test. I will ask the lads for the same level of work rate as they’ve given us in the last run of games.
“We showed a great deal of quality on Tuesday night and it was probably the most chances we’ve created since I took over. I was a little bit disappointed that we didn’t put the game to bed but, having said that, I don’t think we’re playing at full tilt at the moment.
“I think that’s coming for us because the players are really buying into the way we want to play and we’re seeing some real improvements right across the pitch. They want to drive each other on to better things because they all want results and the rewards that brings.
“I keep saying the same things at the moment but I won’t apologise for that. I was extremely proud of them last Saturday and it was the same again on Tuesday night. As long as they give their all on Saturday then I’ll be extremely proud again.
“I’ve had some great reports on how Swindon play so we know what to expect. I’ll balance that with what I see from our squad and we’ll look to pick a team and a shape which will be good enough to go there and get a victory. We totally respect them and how good they can be, but I don’t think we have any reason to fear them.”