Jason Kennedy on missing out at Bristol on Saturday
We caught up with midfielder Jason Kennedy on the journey home on Saturday to ask him about the disappointment he felt at missing the Bristol Rovers game through illness."I trained fully on Friday and, to be honest, I felt fine," he explained. "We then went to the hotel and I started to feel really cold and weak. It was strange because it was one of those where I hadn't really had any warning signs.
"As the night went on I had hot sweats and I could feel it getting worse. I didn't sleep very well at all and it got more and more uncomfortable. My body was aching all over so there was no way I was going to be able to settle."
On the decision he made to rule himself out of the running for selection, he said: "If I'm being completely honest, I was tempted to try and play.
"I spoke to the gaffer on Saturday morning and I gave him a heads up that I wasn't feeling right. I didn't want to let anyone down by staying quiet, only to then not be able to do my job once we got out onto the pitch.
"With the squad we have at the moment I also knew we had people who could step in and play the position, particularly when I wasn't feeling anywhere near 100% fit.
"That was the main reason for letting the gaffer know because the last thing you want is to let him and your team mates down."
And the popular midfielder revealed that the unexpected illness had caused an even bigger disappointment on the day.
"When I got on the bus on Friday morning the gaffer said 'morning Skip' and I think that meant I was going to take Danny Grainger's place with the armband," he told us.
"That would have been a massive honour and it was something I was really looking forward to. Even with that in the back of my mind, I still think it was best for the team that someone else stepped in.
"If you don't feel well I think the only thing you can do is be honest about it, or it could have a negative impact on everybody."
"I'm hoping I'll be able to get over it within a few days," he concluded. "I'll just rest up and get myself right. Hopefully that will mean I'll be fine for next Saturday."
