INTERVIEW: A big build up and a sell-out crowd

“We’re all looking forward to it,” he said. “It’s been a big build up and a sell-out crowd and I can’t wait. I have to admit that there is a buzz around but you have to prepare properly for every game.

“We know it’s a big crowd and we’re up against a Premier League side so we want to give a good account of ourselves. I’ve watched them on TV this week and I think we all sat looking at what they’ve got. 

“I’ve been watching them with added interest on Match of the Day, and things like, ever since we knew we might play them. They’ve obviously got some good players but it’s a game we’ll relish. If we look at it like the Liverpool game we know we can perhaps get something out of it.”

“It’s been a crazy season when you think about it,” he told us. “Who would have thought we’d get Liverpool and Everton in the same season. It’s brilliant for the club and for us as players. We drew 1-1 with Liverpool at Anfield so why can’t we get something out of Everton at Brunton Park?

“The amount of interest we’ve had from the national press has added to the occasion. It’s a great feeling to be involved with it. The buzz in the dressing room is crazy and that’s been the same in town and on social media.” 

“We’ll go into the game seeing it as another challenge,” he insisted. “We have to enjoy it and make the most of it and we definitely have to give it our best shot. These are top Premier League players so if we go into the game with any other kind of mindset we’ll just be making it hard for ourselves. 

“There’s nothing to fear and if we got out and compete I know our fans will be happy with that. It’s one to enjoy for everybody and it’s good to get the community together to celebrate something, particularly after the floods. It’ll be an emotional day for everybody so we’ll see what we can do.”

On his return to action last weekend, he said: “It was nice for me to be involved last week. It’s never the best when you miss out, but all you can do is bide your time and work as hard as you can in training. 

“You then have to impress when you get your opportunity and I think I did that against York. I took a knock in the first half and that meant I struggled a bit, but I thought I gave a good account of myself overall. Whatever happens, whether I’m picked or not, I’ll just be happy to be involved. It’s a great set of lads and we’ve come a long way together already this season.”

“It’s crazy that there’ll be over 17,000 people there,” he continued. “I’m looking forward to seeing what the atmosphere will be like and I know our fans will be loud. It’s going to be an experience and a day we will all remember for a long time.”

And we couldn’t let him go without finding out a bit more about his new venture, along with five other members of the squad, called Inside Pass.

“It’s still early days and we’re still working on different concepts to bring to the table, but we ultimately want to give everybody a view of what life is like for us behind the scenes,” he said. “That includes looking at what we get up to at home, our family life, before and after training, and other things like that.

“We don’t want it to be boring so hopefully we’ll come at it from a new angle. We’ve got a YouTube channel coming soon, which we’re looking forward to, so the project is getting there slowly. We’ve got some great ideas and some good lads involved so hopefully it will be something people will look forward to.”

Follow Inside Pass on Twitter @Inside_Pass for more updates from the gang – Derek Asamoah, Bastien Hery, Jabo Ibehre, Luke Joyce, Alexander McQueen and Tom Miller.