INTERVIEW: He put it on a plate

"My confidence is high at the moment, it's nice to have a manager with a bit of faith in me and hopefully I can keep chipping in with the goals. 

"I think everybody knows I'm not the type of player who will beat a whole team and score in the top corner. I rely on service into the box and I got that today. The timing of the goal was important, we needed that to get us back into the game. We put them on the back foot and we controlled the whole of the second half." 

"We were all relived to see Derek [Asamoah] put that one in at the end," he said. "We all know it's the type of game we should be winning and Derek has done well in both of the games he's played in.  

"Derek is a good lad and he gives us something different. He isn't going to do what I do, and I'm not going to do what he does, so I think we complement each other well. He's very lively and he likes taking people on. The most important thing is that he's scoring goals, as we've seen in his two appearances so far, and he's settling in really well." 

"We were a bit deflated at half time because of the late goal and we didn't feel like they'd had many chances," he told us. "We should probably have been a couple of goals up but we all knew we had the quality in the dressing room to turn it round. 

"We haven't came from behind to win too often recently and I think that's down to the mood in the dressing room. We've got a good mix of experience and youth, everybody is confident and we just need to keep building on that. We're finishing games very strongly and I think that comes down to the fitness levels in the group. 

"After the last two results it was important we got another win under our belt. Nobody wants three defeats in a row and, like I said, it was a game we thought we should be winning. We're all pleased it turned out that way in the end. 

"I think I'm showing the manager what I can do which is reflected in the number of starts and goals I've had since he came in. Hopefully that continues and I can score as many as I can so I catch Kyle [Dempsey] in the goal scoring charts. 

"It's great to be playing with lads like that because we've all grown up together. We've got a lot of good young players here and there aren't many things better than playing football with your mates."

"To be left out on Tuesday was a bit of a reminder that nobody is guaranteed a start," he said. "We've got a very good squad, one of the best in the league in my opinion, and everybody needs to be on their toes and give everything to make sure they're playing games.  

"I don't mind a bit of a scrap and I think that's what you're going to get in most games in this league. A lot of teams have big lads at the back but I would class myself as a big lad as well. I think I need to get myself in the gym a bit more so I can be stronger, because in League Two there are strong players all over the pitch."

"The reaction from the fans was good," he agreed. "Even when we went one down they still clapped us in at half time. I think they all knew we had the ability to turn it around. 

"Even though we've had a couple of defeats it doesn't seem to have affected us. We know we can't win them all so we puffed our chests out when we went behind. It's a situation where we might have crumbled earlier on in the season.

"We've got another short trip next week but the bus will be a happy place. We've played Portsmouth a couple of ties recently so we know they're a big club with a good fan base. I'm sure we'll have a couple of games of bingo on the way down. I just hope I don't end up with a Barbie Doll!"