INTERVIEW: Nice to score in front of our fans

Michael Raynes on the Yeovil Town game

Defender Michael Raynes spoke to us about his two goals against Yeovil shortly after full time on Saturday.

"I didn't have my best game at all today," he admitted. "I think the two goals have got me out of the doghouse a little bit. Mistakes happen butto concede from the corner after I'd fallen over was a blow. I'm big enough to take the blame.

"I'd rather it come my way than go to anybody else. I've had it all my career, so I'm used to it now. I know I'm not a silky centre half like Rio Ferdinand but I also know what I can and can't do."

"We started terribly," he said. "They scored two quick goals but I think most teams would have folded if that had happened to them. I've played in teams that go 2-0 down at home and end up getting beat by four or five. We always had the confidence that we were going to win this game, but we just ended up making hard work of it.

"We've got a lot of belief and the gaffer doesn't panic, which helps. I've played under managers who get too high when you win and too low when you lose, but the gaffer is the total opposite. He's a happy medium all of the time and he picks up on the good and the bad in every game. I think that's the best way to be."

On his first goals for the club, he said: "It's been a long two years since I last scored so it was nice to get my nose on one. I sat on this seat and told you the goals would come, didn't I! Danny [Grainger] has been giving me some grief about it as well so I went straight to him to give him a bit of a hug.

"It's something I work on and I know it's something I need to improve. I should be getting a few more goals for a 6"4 giant. Mind you, they were like buses on Saturday and I should have had a hat-trick, to be fair. Imagine me sitting here with the match ball after a bad game like that!"

"I think my last goal was for Oxford when we played Accrington away," he told us. "We scored in the last minute so it's been a long time. My old man has been giving me loads of grief, my nana even puts a bet on every week - she must have spent a fortune. She probably didn't put it on today so she'll be gutted.

"The ball across for the first one was great and we've had that all season from Alex [Gilliead] and Danny. We should be scoring more from set pieces. We'd actually worked on it before the game and we've got our just rewards."

"There were a lot of lads who could have got the man of the match award," he said. "Jason [Kennedy] was outstanding as were Alex and Hopey [Hallam Hope]. Charlie [Wyke] played well up front, but I think my old man must have been up there counting the votes."

"The second goal felt like it happened in slow motion," he admitted. "It couldn't have came across any slower and I was just thinking 'oh my god I can't miss this'. There was a massive relief when I saw the net bulge. It's nice to score in front of our fans, I've ticked both ends off today, and hopefully I'll get a few more."

"It was massive for us to get back to winning ways," he told us. "We've got a nice trip to Plymouth to look forward to now. I like playing at Plymouth, it's an old school ground and it's a proper old school club.

"The 4-1 result earlier in the season didn't reflect the way we'd played. It was probably one of our better performances this season so we'll be looking to go there and put that right. They're top of the league so it's a chance to put your mark on them. We do feel like we owe them one and they've got to come up here in the New Year.

"I watched them on telly against Notts County a couple of weeks ago and they've done really well so far. Reuben [Reid] has been on fire for them so it will be a good test for us. You have to do that in the FA Cup if you want to get Man United away!"

"We've got two tough games against Bristol Rovers and Portsmouth after that so it's a difficult month," he admitted. "If we can keep grinding results out like we are doing then we've got a good chance.

"We're going about our business quietly at the moment and I think we're going under the radar a little bit. We've got a good group who are experienced enough not to get too high or too low. We work hard every day and we'll do it our way and see where we end up at the end of the season."

On the injury which kept him out of the Northampton and Wycombe away games, he said: "It's been a nightmare. If you pull your hamstring or something like that you hold your hands up because you know you can't run.

"This one was internal. I was getting up in the morning and having to roll out of bed because I couldn't move. Dolly and the medical team have been brilliant with me and it feels much better, which is good.

"I damaged my oblique muscle in my hip at Orient away. I got smashed in the first half then I got two more knocks on it at Stevenage. I went up for the corner against Exeter and landed right on it. That hurt a lot. I tried to run it off but it just didn't go.

"Troy [Archibald-Henville] came on and did well then scored a great goal against Wycombe. That shows the quality we've got in the squad, Macca [Macaulay Gillesphey] started on the bench today and scored, so we have got one heck of a squad."