Mark Gillespie on his relationship with the fans
In the final part of our interview with Mark Gillespie he told us how much it would mean to get a promotion with the club he has served since the tender age of just 16 years old."This season will be my ninth with the club and my seventh as a professional," he said. "I've grown up here, but the person who walked in the door all those years ago was a lot different to the person sitting here now.
"It's a massive part of my life. I love being here and I really enjoy it. The people, the staff and the players who have come and gone over the years have all been fantastic with me.
"Being at a club this long doesn't happen very often in football now. No matter what else happens in my career, anything I achieve here will mean more to me simply because of what the club means to me.
"To get a promotion here would be unbelievable. It's something I dream about and it's something we're all working hard towards."
"I'm really enjoying playing under the manager at the moment," he continued. "He's helped my game, with Simon Tracey being a massive part of that.
"I think I've really improved in terms of being comfortable with the ball at my feet and playing out from the back, so I'm thankful for that. That's all well and good, but there's still work to be done to make sure I'm part of the first eleven next season.
"The relationship with Simon Tracey was new for me because I worked with Tony [Caig] for so long before that. I've really enjoyed training with Trace. I've picked up different things and it's something I'll look forward to next season."
"I had my review of the season with the manager at the beginning of the month and we looked at how we can kick on from here," he said. "Every player looks for gradual improvement and progression. I know the competition will be tough, but I'll relish that."
Thinking about the tenth place finish from the season just gone, he said: "It could drive you mad if you think too much about the points we could have had over the season.
"The last three home games left a bit of a bitter taste because it was disappointing for our fans.
"We were onto something, we managed to win the last two away games, and if we'd backed that up at home we would have been right in amongst it.
"It was disappointing but we've came on so far when you look at last season and the season before. The football side of things is a different place from where we were. The manager will add to the squad and if we keep our fantastic team spirit I think we can go far."
His final word went to the fantastic relationship he's had with the fans since he came to the club: "Since I walked out for my first game the fans have been amazing with me.
"They sang my name before kick off, which gave me a massive boost, andit's something I'll always remember.
"They were singing my name at Notts County during the last game of the season and you do really enjoy that. It's a player's dream to hear it.
"I want to say a big thank you to them for their support over the last eight years and I'll look to repay them next season."
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"We were onto something, we managed to win the last two away games, and if we'd backed that up at home we would have been right in amongst it.
"It was disappointing but we've came on so far when you look at last season and the season before. The football side of things is a different place from where we were. The manager will add to the squad and if we keep our fantastic team spirit I think we can go far."
His final word went to the fantastic relationship he's had with the fans since he came to the club: "Since I walked out for my first game the fans have been amazing with me.
"They sang my name before kick off, which gave me a massive boost, andit's something I'll always remember.
"They were singing my name at Notts County during the last game of the season and you do really enjoy that. It's a player's dream to hear it.
"I want to say a big thank you to them for their support over the last eight years and I'll look to repay them next season."
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