Ahead of a massive game at Preston, Lynden Gooch has spoken about how the team's done in their first season back in the Championship...
PRESSURE IS OFF
“It’s nice to be fighting at the top end. There was obviously more pressure in League One to deliver, and this season it’s just been about trying to keep doing the same things from week to week and keeping that momentum going from last season. The pressure was never there to be up here this season - the most important thing was to solidify ourselves as a Championship club after where we’d been. We’ve just kept going and taking it from game to game."
NO STRIKERS
“I don’t think, six weeks ago, many people would have seen us here. It’s been difficult doing it without strikers for large parts of the season, but we’ve managed it, we’ve managed to get goals from everywhere.”
EXPERIENCED CORE
“We’ve kept that core group from the team that got promoted last season. We’ve played a lot of games together and even just having the likes of Corry and Ross around the building - although they're not playing, they still have a massive part in helping the lads."
BODIES ON THE LINE
“We’ve managed to dig in and there’s that clip from West Brom showing everyone diving in and putting their bodies on the line to stop them scoring their second, I think that epitomised what we've managed to do in the last few weeks. The younger lads have followed suit and bought into that."
AMAD
“You see Amad (Diallo) getting his body on the line, I don't know if he'd have been tackling like that and diving in like that nine months ago, and yet he's brilliant every game at both sides of the game, on and off the ball."
RIGHT DIRECTION
“I said at the start of the season that it would be important to keep the core of the group we had together to try and keep going in that direction, and it's obviously turned out even better so far. It's been a fantastic season and we're looking forward to Monday.”
HIGHS AND LOWS
“I’ve loved this season. The last time at this level, I think I did well when I did play, but that wasn’t as much as I would have liked and obviously there were an awful lot of things going on at the football club, a lot of politics. I’m enjoying my football a lot more now for having been through those times. I don’t think you could have it much tougher starting a career with back-to-back relegations and play-off final losses. I’m just so pleased I managed to come through that and that I'm still here, and that I can enjoy these good times.”
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