We spoke to Aaron Hayden, ahead of the visit of Cheltenham.
He began by saying: “I’m feeling really good. The boys are feeling good.
“Obviously, it's a tough period for us at the moment, but we're coming through it well and looking forward to the game tomorrow.”
On how he was feeling, following his injury, Aaron said: “It was five and a half weeks, so I didn’t feel the best out there, but it was really good to get 45 minutes under my belt and I'm really looking forward to Cheltenham.
“Obviously, when you come back from being out for a month or so, you naturally lose fitness.
"So it was really good to get that 45 in and put us in a better place.”
Aaron missed 6 league games, we asked how he found the frustration of watching on whilst things haven’t been going well, he said: “Yeah, it’s very frustrating. I feel like a fan watching the game. Just very frustrating, but yeah, it's life, you know. It's not all positive all the time. You have to learn how to deal with the negative and come through that period.”
Hayden also gave his thoughts on Tuesday’s defeat to Walsall, saying: “If you take away the goals, I think the performance wasn't the worst, especially in the first-half, but we just need to cut out the silly mistakes. It's costing us at the moment. The minute we start doing that, then our game plan and our philosophy will start to shine through.”
We asked if those silly mistakes are the key factor behind our poor start to the season, the defender responded: “Obviously, you can never pin it on one thing.
“There's multiple reasons, but the table doesn't lie. It never does, especially when it starts to form after 10 games. We're down here for a reason, but it's about us recognising the reasons we're here, rectifying it and sticking to our plan.
“We now have an identity which we're fostering, so it's about believing in that and when we do come good, at least we'll know that it's through having a plan and a strategy.”
As one of the leaders in the dressing room, we asked Aaron how he goes about making sure the lads keep their heads up in a tough time like this. He said: "Naturally lads that haven't been through tough periods, their heads can drop, but it's about us staying together and tight, because you know what, it's through these tough periods when you find out what the team's about, find out whose personalities are what.
"It's about staying really positive, coming in everyday, working hard, even harder when you lose, you know, and understanding that it's not easy to win in football, but once we start getting that feeling, then it will start to grow and compound, we'll start reaping the rewards.”
Speaking on the time working with Mike Williamson and his team so far, Hayden said: "I'm learning everyday, learning new things, different style, I really enjoy it, learning about gaining more control of the game, doing things in our favour. I can't lie, I feel like a child again, I'm learning, which is really good to come in and not just have the same competitive stuff happening, it's a new challenge.”
Looking ahead to tomorrow's Sky Bet League Two contest against Cheltenham, Aaron said: “I say every game is important, three points every game, so we'll attack it like we would any other game, give 100%, and yeah, it's really essential that we really go for the three points.
“My mindset is every game we should be able to win, you know, 46 games, and for me, what matters is where we finish at end of May,
"I'm not really bothered about where we are right now, obviously our form does need to improve, that is a given.
“It'll be a tough game. They’re down there as well so they'll be scrapping for their lives, they won't be in any form of comfort, which there isn't in this league, so it'll be a really tough game, but it's more so about what we're doing, making sure that we improve ourselves, because really and truly we've been beating ourselves of late, and if we can take care of that, I'm really positive that we can get a result.”
Finally, Aaron had a message for the fans, saying: “Just stay patient, stick with us, don't lose any faith.
"It's really early in the league, only 12 games in, so it's a process we're building here, and stick with us and make sure you support us tomorrow, and we're going to give 100% to get a win.”
