Training ground is a good place to be

WE’LL be looking for another win when Carlisle United make the long journey down to Essex, on Saturday.

If you take to look at the league table, you’ll see there’s only one point and not much between us at the moment.

Like we do with every team we play, we’ll do our research on them but as with every game we play, it’s about what we do and how we perform on the day.

We’ll be looking to perform in the same manner as we did against Mansfield, where I felt we were excellent in every department.

The training ground is a good place to be at the moment – football can become over complicated at times but essentially it’s a simple game and when you’re winning games, the place is really bouncing.

The manager commented after the Mansfield game about the importance of having experience in the side and put me in that bracket.

I’ve felt like a senior player for a while now and a lot of people think I’m older than I am.

I’ve played a lot of games in my career so far and I’d like to think of myself as a consistent keeper, which I hope in turn makes those in front of me comfortable, too.

The likes of Doug Loft and Kyel Reid have played their part as experienced players too and they’ve made a difference.

Mansfield was a milestone

I THINK our win over Mansfield Town sent out a bit of a statement.

They’re regarded as one of the promotion candidates in our division and I think it showed that we’ve turned the corner and that we’ve hit a good patch of form.

I’m sure Mansfield would have fancied their chances of getting a result after beating Notts County and I think it sent out a message that we can beat anyone in the division, something that we all firmly believe.

To secure back-to-back wins – and successive clean sheets – was very pleasing and that’s the ideal situation for me.

It demonstrates the attitude we have and the application that we’ve put in since the Wycombe Wanderers game, where I felt we were very unlucky to come away empty-handed.

The main thing as we all know is for us to produce some consistency and it’s key that we keep building the momentum that we’ve started.

The only way we can do that is by grinding out some consistent performances.

Rene is a happy man

MY goalkeeper coach and team-mate Rene Gilmartin was a happy man when he bounced into training, on Tuesday.

As a proud Irishman, he was absolutely delighted to see Republic of Ireland beat Wales to clinch their World Cup play-off place, on Monday night.

Most of the established football nations will be in Russia next year – but there are also some big hitters who won’t.

Wales and Scotland will be bitterly disappointed not to be there and it’s particularly sad that Gareth Bale will miss out.

Thankfully though, Lionel Messi will be there – what more can anyone say about the little genius!

It looks like he’s single-handedly dragged Argentina to the World Cup with a hat-trick against Ecuador in their final qualifying game.

I’ll of course be rooting for England in Russia but as a huge Messi fan, I’d love to see him lift the World Cup.

He’s certainly the best player I’ve seen in my lifetime but others argue the case for Pele and Diego Maradona, who played such a big part in their countries winning the World Cup in the past.

Great to see my pal James

IT was great to see my friend and former team-mate James Bransgrove down at Florence Park on Tuesday.

James, who decided to retire from playing professional football last December at the age of 21 to focus on a business career, came to say hello and the lads were all delighted to see him.

With him being a fellow goalkeeper, I built up a good rapport with James over the years I worked and trained alongside him.

He made a brave and courageous decision to leave professional football and he’s enjoying what he’s doing.

He’s also playing for Coggeshall Town at the moment but he feels he made the right decision to stop playing full-time and he’s a lot happier for it.

I'm used to festive programme now

SO there could be Premier League games played on Christmas Eve, this year.

It’s a difficult one for the fans but as professionals, if that is the date of the game that you’re given then you have to treat it like any other day.

Christmas and New Year is a unique time for players and it’s such a busy period, with games coming thick and fast.

There’s game after game and it’s something that I’m very used to now.

If you have to play on Christmas Eve, it’s a case of getting on with it and perhaps treating it like you would a Boxing Day fixture.

Lofty can really curry it off in the canteen

IT’S National Curry Week at the moment and it’s a dish I like to have now and again.

A few of the lads in the squad like their hot food.

Lofty in particular whacks some ridiculously hot sauce on his food at the training ground most days but I’m more mid-range.

I would say I might get involved in National Curry Week by sampling a hot dish in the coming days but I’m not sure if it’s a good idea, with games against Carlisle and Newport coming up in quick succession!