Town Captain John Finnigan On Tomorrow

Last updated : 01 September 2007 By Thetashkentterror
Town captain John Finnigan
Robins skipper John Finnigan, who was speaking to the Gloucestershire Echo, talked about the game against Carlisle at Brunton Park tomorrow. Finningan chatting about his past experiences at the home of the Cumbrians :


"Our 1-1 derby draw with Swindon Town last week was an entertaining game for the crowd and a great one to play in. We were pleased to come out of it with a hard-earned point. In the run-up to our equalising goal, we had been passing the ball around well and I saw Ashley Vincent going down injured.

"We were building up some momentum, so we didn't want to kick the ball out of play. I received the ball, moved it on and encouraged Ash to get up and when he fired a shot into the top corner from 25 yards he gave me a bit of credit. It was a great strike and matches like that are what we are all here for.

"It's been a solid start to the season and I think Swindon are going to do well this season. Next up is the longest trip of the season, to Carlisle United. We had a few injuries and players unavailable last time we went up there and we lost 2-0. It's always difficult at Brunton Park and although I have been involved in some draws, I can't ever remember winning there. But we will certainly be looking to improve on our performance last year.

"Two matches I have played in at Brunton Park stick in my mind. At the end of my first season at Cheltenham, we could have clinched automatic promotion there, but they held us to a 0-0 draw and we ended up going up in the play-offs. And I remember Kayode Odejayi scoring a late equaliser which actually sent them down to the Conference a couple of years back. It's a long trip, but we are leaving today and training at Preston North End, so the preparation will be spot-on and hopefully we can come back with something.

"It's the gaffer's 200th game tomorrow and it's been a pleasure to play under his management for the last four years. He has been a big influence on me, always full of encouragement and it's nice to have a manager that trusts you to go out and captain the side. We all love working for him and it's a pleasure to come in every day. He is not the type of manager to throw tea cups around the dressing room.

"Of course, he can get angry and upset, but he puts it across in other ways and the lads respect that. He signed a five-year contract last summer and it seems like it's almost in his hands how long he wants to stay here, because he has been very successful here. He keeps producing young players and some of them move on, but some stay and play a big role for the club.

"We have stability at the club after two managers had come and gone fairly quickly. He steadied the ship for a year or two and then we went up to League One. Hopefully we can be successful under him again."