Our defender spoke to the local press ahead of our Sky Bet Championship meeting with Cardiff City.
ON BOURNEMOUTH DEFEAT
“I think we took a step forward in our performance. It was not a bad performance but it’s all about getting results. We can take positives from that game.
“In our situation now, where the confidence is not so high, performances like this show you can compete with clubs like this in this league.”
ON AIDEN MARSH AND MATTY WOLFE
“I’m happy for them. They performed good – especially Wolfie, who had more time than Marshy. I’m happy for them and hope they can help us in the future; they’re lads from the academy and it’s a proud moment for the club.
“I hope they can go a long way and help us in the next games.”
ON PLAYER ABSENCE
“It was a tough January with not a lot of people in the training sessions because of Covid and injuries. It’s tough and we are struggling at the moment, but a lot of people are coming back and we are putting January behind us.”
ON AMINE BASSI AND DOMINGOS QUINA
“To be honest, I don’t know them well. They were in the first session today, but as I said, we didn’t have many bodies in January so anyone extra will be a help.
“I think it’s important to improve the team and we will only be better if there are more players in the group.”
ON LEADERSHIP ROLE
“I’m one of the oldest players here, so I should be a leader. I’m trying to help all the time in the session and I’m trying to do my best, so I feel that responsibility.
“I’m trying to help the younger players, but our gaffer does that well, to be honest. We still feel that hope and that we are able to do it, and everyone is working hard every day in every sessions to get the results.”
ON TEAM SPIRIT
“We still believe, but it’s tough to be happy and funny with results like this. We are more focused on the hard work rather than the great atmosphere at the club, but there’s no fighting or arguing – we’re all pushing one another to be better players every day.”
ON RELEGATION EXPERIENCE
“I experienced this with my first club, my hometown club, and it’s not good to remember. It’s not my first time, but I hope it’s my last time and that we will stay in the league.
“I took a lot from that experience. It’s always easier when you’re in the situation for a second time, even though our position in the table isn’t great. I took a lot from the experience to be calm and patient, because in a situation like this you can feel like everything is against you. When the opposition has chances, they score. When we have chances, we don’t score. But we can only focus on ourselves.”
ON CARDIFF CITY
“We need to try and get the win. It’s so important because they are one of the teams we are competing with to stay in the league and it should be easier to compete than against Bournemouth and Fulham.
“It’s a good chance for us and we need to perform well to get the three points.”
