Matt Robson on relegation to League Two
Defender Matt Robson spoke to us this week about the disappointment of relegation and about his determination to put things right when the squad gets back together ahead of the new campaign in July.
"It's difficult to describe how relegation felt," he said. "It's happened to me once before and it isn't nice knowing you've failed at something which isn't just your job, because it's something you love.
"Things happen for a reason and hopefully next year we'll be celebrating rather than being on the wrong end of something like this. In the last couple of years we've always seemed to be at clubs, on the last day of the season, who have had something to be celebrate. That isn't nice and we would all love if it was us next year."
"We obviously knew things had to go our way on the last day of the season so it was always going to be a tough day." he admitted. "We had that bad run of results, even though we played well in quite a few games, so we probably knew it was all against us.
"Walking over to the fans at Molineux was really difficult. You're always going to feel sorry that you've let them down because they spend some serious time and money following us up and down the country. The players appreciate that massively and it's tough to see the emotions. We all felt the same, but that's no consolation when they've just watched their side get relegated.
"It was tough to keep my own emotions in check on the pitch because it's the worst thing in the world to see everybody so disappointed. I'm sure the fans will be back again next year, because this club means so much to them, and we thank them for that. It's important that we all stick together to get through this tough situation. If we do that I'm sure the good times will come again."
"Something like this does affect your summer," he told us. "It's still hurting now. I'll rest over the next few weeks and we'll all be looking to put it right when we come back for pre-season.
"We want to prove that we do belong in League One. That bad feeling will go but we shouldn't forget it. We know we need to put it right rather than just hope people will forgive us. It's our job and it's something we all love, so of course it's going to hurt for a while. However, we need to use that and make sure we change it into a determination to put things right very quickly. We've got to be mentally strong and believe we can turn this round next season."
"We know League Two will be tough," he said. "It's a division where you have to work hard but I'm sure we'll get a squad assembled which will be prepared for another tough season.
"I want to be lifting the trophy next year. We have to set ourselves the minimum aim of getting back up into League One at the first attempt. It won't be easy, we've seen teams go down in the past and struggle, but we've got to have the mentality that we're better and we're going to be fitter and stronger than anyone else in the league."
And on the changes to personnel within the group over the last fortnight, he said: "It's never nice seeing your colleagues get the news that there isn't going to be a contract for them.
"I've spoken to a couple of them since that day but I grew particularly close to Nobsa [Liam Noble]. He was gutted. He was trying to put a brave face on but you could tell in his voice that it had hurt him. We've travelled across together from the north east for the last few years and I've learned a lot about him. He's a close friend of mine, so it is tough to watch that. All I could do was offer him a bit of advice and I really hope he finds himself a good club.
"On the flip side of that it means we'll see a lot of new faces. It'll be a new challenge but I think it will be exciting to see how we can pull together as a team. We'll all welcome the new lads and hopefully they'll blend in and we can have a successful season."
"I'll be coming into my sixth year at the club next season so it's massively important to me that we put this right," he commented. "This season has been one of the toughest for a while but I've still enjoyed every minute of being part of this club.
"It's a job where if you don't enjoy it then you shouldn't be doing it. I'll go through this process of hurting, which is the same for everyone connected to the club, and I know I'll be raring to go ago in a couple of weeks. That's the type of person I am.
"We've just been through what I see as a failure and it's time to get us all some success again. I've only won a league title once and I would love to do it again, because it's a fantastic feeling."
"Like I say, League Two is a different challenge but it's one we'll all be ready for. It's more physical, and it's tougher than League One, but we can learn from the season we've just had. We were in the bottom four because teams were clinical in finishing us off. We weren't the same at the other end and it cost us. We've got to have the mentality next season where we are ruthless and we put teams away."
As for the next few months, he said: "We were given programmes to stick to and I'll be doing that and a bit more. I'll have a couple of weeks of total rest and I'll be using that to spend time with the family.
"After that I'll get back on the horse and start the fitness work, which I'll step up as we get closer to July. Obviously once we're back in work it's a case of preparing for the new season.
"We need the same level of support from the fans as we've had this season. We know it's been tough for everybody but we all want to put smiles back on faces. I'm sure we will.
"I can only say that I will be giving it my all to make sure there's a positive light at the end of this tunnel. I'm sure the lads who have been a part of things this season will want to do the same and I know that the new lads who come in will want to bed in and be part of a successful team. This has happened now, we can't change it, so we have to get out there and make sure we do things properly so that we've all got a club to be proud of again."