Josh Todd on his new contract
Midfielder Josh Todd spoke to us today about his determination to push on next season now that his second professional contract has been finalised.
“There was no real hint that I was going to get another contract so it felt like it was 50:50 to me, if I’m being honest,” he said. “I thought I was doing well in training but you just never know.
“I was in the club house first thing in the morning on the day the gaffer was making decisions and I was just walking round and not knowing what to do with myself. It was a very nervous time so I was glad he kept it short when I got in there.
“He told me that I needed to keep working hard and I was just over the moon with it all. I went outside and phoned my family right away. They were all chuffed as well.”
But having been placed on the back foot due to an early-season hamstring injury, he admitted it had been a tough ten months.
“It’s been a hard first season,” he said. “The other lads have helped me through, but it hasn’t been great for me on the football side.
“I picked up the injury during the second friendly game we had last summer and we initially thought I’d only be out for two weeks. Unfortunately it turned out to be worse than we thought and it obviously went on for longer.”
A source of inspiration throughout last season was the performance of fellow first-year professionals Mark Beck, Brad Potts and Dave Symington.
“It isn’t jealousy, that’s not the right word, but when your mates are doing as well as they were you just want to be out there with them,” he conceded. “That’s why it’s important for me to get back in June as fit as I can be and to keep the ball rolling from there.
“I’m proud of the other lads and I just want to push on and join them now. It was great to watch and I was celebrating for them. Next year I hope we’ll all be celebrating together.”
“My immediate aim is to have a good pre-season and to get myself into the manager’s plans,” he added. “I didn’t set myself any targets last season and maybe that was the trouble. I haven’t thought about it this time either, but I know that I want to get appearances under my belt as quickly as possible.”
“I got my debut against Hartlepool and it was good to get that chance,” he said. “All I want is more of that. I’ll do my job in the friendly games and see where it takes me. Paul Thirlwell has been a really big influence. He has a lot of experience and he gives me a lot of hints and tips during training. Hopefully we can carry that on next year as well.
“It’s great to hear the gaffer say I’m a good player. It’s very encouraging and now I have to prove him right. I’m really determined to make it happen and I’m going to work as hard as it takes to achieve that.”
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