INTERVIEW: There are no superstars

“It’s very hard to take when you lose in the last minute,” he said. “There’s nothing we can do about it now. It’s happened, it’s in the past, and we need to start thinking about next week, another home game, where we must go for a win.

“The lads aren’t feeling great right now. It’s always that way when you lose. All we can do is kick on and work hard to make sure we’re concentrating on the Brentford game. The day you sit and feel sorry for yourself is the day you have problems. Football is a tough game so all you can do is look forward and try to win your next one.”

“To be honest, I thought it was going to be like the game against Coventry,” he added. “We conceded a goal in the first half against them but we had lots of possession and, in my opinion, Coventry were probably more on top of us. That changed in the second half and we expressed ourselves very well as a team. 

“We made the chances and won the game and I thought it was going to work out the same way. It was a lovely finish by Lee [Miller] and I was sure we would go on to win it. Unfortunately it didn’t go that way and losing like that is horrible. I think the good thing about this team is that we know we will create chances to score goals. If we can make sure we stop conceding easy goals it will be our way to win games.”

And on getting onto the pitch, he said: “I was very happy to get the call to make my debut. The fans received me very well and that was a nice feeling when I came on. 

“I asked our kit man, Colin, how long I had been on for because it went by so quickly. It only felt like I’d made three or four runs and then the final whistle blew. It really did only feel like it was a few minutes. It’s a start for me and I hope I can push on from here.”

“Hearing that round of applause is fantastic,” he admitted. “Things like that really lift players up. It makes you want to come out and show the fans what you can do. It would be lovely to score a goal and celebrate with them. 

“The fans are very important in player’s minds. If you hear an ovation or praise you respond and you want everything to be good to please them. I can guarantee I will work hard to give something back to them. 

“The fans here deserve some more good results. It’s a priority for me to do well to give them something back. At the end of the day they are the ones who are paying to come and see us week in and week out. It’s up to us to stick together and get them the results they wish for.”

“I do feel fit,” he said. “It’s always been strange for me because sometimes you work in training and you can look or feel tired. It’s a completely different story for me in a game. The adrenalin comes into it and you get extra energy and drive. It’s all about working hard. I don’t find it difficult to get back to full fitness because it’s something which happens really quickly for me. 

“There is no half way with me at all. I work hard and I want to be ready all the time. My time out hasn’t been that long anyway so it isn’t such a massive job for me. I just need games to get the match sharpness and then I’ll be fine.”

And on what he’s seen in the dressing room, he said: “I think we have a really good squad here. There’s a good atmosphere, which is very important, because sometimes you find clubs where that isn’t the case. That isn’t very nice at all. 

“It’s very much like a family here. When we win, we win as a group and when we lose, we lose together. It doesn’t matter who has played and who hasn’t. That’s the big reason why I think the results will come. 

“My opinion is that if I am playing then I will be happy. If I’m not playing then I have an important job to, and that is to support my team mates. That also makes me happy. This is a team game and everybody needs each other. 

“I don’t think there is ever just one superstar in a dressing room. If there is a squad of 24 then there are 24 superstars. That is true. I am 100% definite that we will climb up the table because that’s how it is here.”

“League One is a very tough league,” he explained. “It can be typical of third division football in that long balls get played and you are up against big centre backs. Some teams prefer a more direct style of football and they don’t really try to play the game. The ball goes to the number 9 and they play off that from the second ball. 

“We have a team which can compete with that but we can play football as well. I don’t mind that this league is more physical because I know I can stand up to it. Once I’m on the park I can adapt to whatever is needed to try to help us get a result.”