Midfielder Joe McKee on settling in and knuckling down
Midfielder Joe McKee bagged a beauty of a goal at Workington on Saturday when he clipped a neat volley into the corner of the net from a deft pass from Danny Grainger.
We spoke to him about it shortly after full time at Borough Park.
“I’m just happy to get a goal really,” he said. “I’m obviously looking to try and get forward as much as I can so it was good to finish one off. Playing behind the two strikers is a position I enjoy but I do look to get beyond them whenever the opportunity comes up.
“Danny Grainger played a great ball right into my path when I did that in this game and I decided to guide it into the corner. I think it might have been Jabo [Ibehre] who dropped short during the move and he took the centre half with him. That left room for me to get in and Danny got his head up and put it on a plate for me.”
And it wasn’t the only decent finish of the afternoon.
“The goal scored by Russ [Penn] was pretty good as well,” he agreed. “He went past one or two then he smashed it into the top corner. Fair play to him, but I’d still say mine was the better team goal of the two!
“It’s about getting time on the pitch rather than goals at the moment, but it all helps with confidence and things like that. We try to do things properly, as we would in a real game, and that means getting into areas and positions where you can affect the game.
“The gaffer wants me to get forward as much as I can and I think that’s a strength I have in my game. I do like being in the hole just behind the strikers and we’ve been able to practice that with the formations we’ve played.”
Speaking about his first month with the club, he said: “I was looking to settle in through the first couple of weeks and I wanted to get my touch back at the same time as I was getting as fit as I could be.
“I’d go as far as to say I’ve started to feel a bit more like myself over the last four or five days, particularly in the games, so I’m enjoying myself. I’m keeping my head down and trying to learn as much as I can so that I can become a better player.
“It has been a very tough pre-season so far. The Cassius Camps day we did was the hardest day’s training I’ve ever had. I think most of the boys felt that way and it was all about recovering for a couple of days after that.
“The other sessions we’ve had have been tough as well but, having said that, this has probably been the most enjoyable pre-season I’ve been through. Everybody is different, but for me personally it takes two or three weeks to get going again when I’ve been away on holidays, and things like that. I’ll keep putting the effort in to get fitter and I’m looking forward to the season starting now.
“Everyone is playing well and obviously we have 21 or 22 players and that’s why you have to work hard and see where it goes from there. Everyone is pushing for a starting place so I’m sure we’ll see everyone get stronger, fitter and sharper as the weeks go on.”
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