Mark Gillespie on his run in the side
Keeper Mark Gillespie spoke to us earlier this week about his run in the side and his hopes for the remainder of the season.
Speaking first about the defeat at Swindon on Saturday, he said: “That was obviously disappointing, I don’t think I need to say that.
“It wasn’t a performance or a result that any of us wanted so we have to get out there and put it right on Sunday. It’s one we have to learn lesson from but also forget about. We performed well in the four games before that and it’s a case of getting back to playing in that way.”
“The job of a keeper when you go out there is to secure a clean sheet, so you won’t ever be happy when you don’t achieve that,” he added. “It means you didn’t do your job as a back five if you let a goal in and that’s something we want to put right.”
“We can definitely use the Swindon game as motivation,” he told us. “We don’t want to dwell on it but we definitely have to learn from it and make sure we are better going forward from here.”
And on the run of games he is currently enjoying, he said: “I think when you come into the team for the first time you have a lot of things to get to grip with. You need to get used with the level of responsibility and with playing in front of bigger crowds, and things like that, and I think I’m there with that now.
“It’s very physical at this level and you have to be able to deal with crosses into the box and that side of the game. Your distribution has to be right, but I’ve worked on that since the day I came to the club. I’ll keep working on all areas of my game and hopefully I’ll keep improving.”
Having picked up a number of man-of-the-match awards he admitted that, although it’s nice to gain the recognition, he would much rather take three points.
“Things like that are just a bonus,” he insisted. “The result is always the main thing and your performance will always look better if you have picked up three points anyway. This season has been a tough one but it’s all good experience for all of us.
“It will help me as a goal keeper because things are bound to get better and, when it does, it will feel much easier to do the job.
“You have to stay strong mentally when the results go against you and you have to focus on yourself. We know we can do better than we have been but we also know it’s time for us to get out there and prove that on the pitch.”
The battle for the number one shirt between Gillespie and Adam Collin has, it seems, brought an increased level of tempo to the work done throughout the week.
“The gaffer has used us both so far this season and we usually get the nod on who will be playing the day before the game,” he explained. “You do have an idea that you’ll start if you’ve played a few games and done well, because it’s not a position you really want to rotate.
“It’s much more frustrating not to be involved now that I’ve had a few starts. It’s much harder to watch the game because you just want to be out there and helping.
“We are both desperate to play but the good thing is that we’re good friends. Training is much more intense than it has ever been and that can only be a good thing. It’s driving standards up and, if anything, making us work even harder.”
“I’m just looking forward to Sunday now,” he said. “Whether I’m picked or not we are in a situation where the team wants to continue the little home run we have started. Hopefully that will be the case.”
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