The training ground is a great place to be

WE’RE on a great run and we’re excited about what we can achieve, this season and looking to maintain that momentum at Notts County, on Saturday.

You look at this weekend’s game negatively by focusing on how tough it will be given their league position but for me, it’s a great game to look forward to.

We’re the form team in the division at the moment and I’m sure Notts County will be doing their homework on us and we deserve that respect from any team.

I’ve played at Meadow Lane more than most other grounds during my career so far and I’m sure it will be a good atmosphere, with two of the division’s form teams going head to head.

The training ground is a great place to be at the moment.

It’s vibrant and even after our draw against Morecambe last weekend where we were disappointed to come away with only a draw, we were in on Sunday morning and the place was rocking again.

I think it’s one of the best spells I’ve experienced at the club, in terms of our defensive play.

I feel like a team would have to do very well to score against us and you could see that with the free-kick Lincoln had which hit the bar.

It feels like it would take something special at the moment like that and even when that came off the bar and it looked like their player had to score from the rebound, Kane Vincent-Young made an outrageous saving challenge on the line to prevent a goal.

That was a clear sign of where we are at the moment and how hard everyone is working.

I haven’t had so much to do recently but those games are often more difficult to play in than the ones where there are lots of saves to make.

As a goalkeeper, you have to remain focused at all times and be alert when things come your way.

A superb performance

WE were outstanding against Lincoln City on Tuesday night.

Every player to a man in every department was fantastic and I don’t think you could say any player was off it in any way.

I think that’s been the story of the last ten games for us – eight or nine players have been playing at their best level and that has been reflected in the results we’ve been getting.

We have a lot of players in form at the moment, which is helping.

Our three centre-backs are working brilliantly together with the two wing-backs and whoever has played in the midfield has come in and done well.

It was a blow to lose Doug Loft to injury but Brandon Comley came on after half an hour or so and did really well, in what was a difficult game to come into.

Then up front we have Sammie Szmodics back and the likes of Drey Wright, Mikael Mandron and Brandon Hanlan also doing well.

Cricket is the focus now the talking is done

I’M a massive cricket fan and I was really excited when the Ashes got underway last night.

I’ve been looking forward to it for ages and it’s always special when it finally arrives.

I’m looking forward to seeing how Nathan Lyon gets on, after saying he hopes Australia can “end the careers” of some England players during the Ashes series.

It’s a dangerous game to play when you say things like that but if he puts in a winning performance for Australia and helps them claim the Ashes, I doubt if many people will say anything more about it.

Alastair Cook is not on the social media scene and has said he didn’t pay any attention to Lyon’s comments and now the cricket is underway, that will be the focus.

I’m really hoping England can win the series but I fear it will be much more difficult without Ben Stokes, who is a key player.

I’ve a bit of a personal hunch that we might see him in action – the police investigation will soon come to a conclusion and I guess we’ll know then, one way or the other but I’m sure the ECB will be keen to get him out to Australia, if they possibly can.

My prediction? I’m going to go for a 3-2 England win but it’s going to be close.

Lapslie's comic doppelgänger

APPARENTLY Paris Saint-Germain’s players have been ribbing their team-mate Kylian Mbappe for looking like Donatello from TV show Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

I’m racking my brain but I don’t think any of my Colchester United team-mates look like super heroes or cartoon characters, although Tom Lapslie does bear a passing resemblance to the comedian Rob Beckett.

In my experience, the main reason for getting battered in the changing room is for your gear.

I’ve been at other football clubs where it resembles more of a fashion show than a dressing room but thankfully, that’s not the case with us.

Ludicrously though, there are still plenty of pairs of shorts on show in November!

Boots clanger could be a costly mistake!

I CAN relate to the comments of Brighton’s Dale Stephens, who says cleaning the toilets and seats and putting up goal posts every morning ready for training while he was a non-league player helped to prepare him for a career in football.

I think it’s important for young players to have that grounding and our young players at Colchester all have their individual jobs like being responsible for first-team equipment and boot bags and cleaning boots.

It’s coming up to Christmas and the youth-team boys know that there could be something coming their way, depending on how clean those boots are.

Controversially though, my boots were not packed and at the stadium before our game against Lincoln on Tuesday night.

It’s the first time it has ever happened and when I got to the stadium, they weren’t there ready for me.

I had to wear a pair of Tom Eastman’s boots in the warm up while someone fetched them from the training ground for me.

They eventually arrived five minutes before kick-off but there was no problem and I was calm about it.

However, it might or might not be unfortunate timing for the young player responsible for my boots, with Christmas coming up!

Two goals...and a baby son!

RYAN Colclough’s dash to the hospital to witness the birth of his son after scoring twice for Wigan Athletic against Doncaster Rovers on Tuesday night was a lovely story.

After he got the nod from his father in the stands that his partner’s waters had broken and he was duly substituted, he raced down the tunnel and made it to see the birth in full kit with half an hour to spare.

Fair play to him for going to the game and playing – I think when that time comes for me I will make sure I’m there no matter what happens!

Thankfully, I haven’t had to dash off from a game before in my career although when I was about 14 or 15 years old and playing for Millwall, I had to come off the pitch with a terrible stomach problem and spent the rest of the game on the toilet!

Suffice to say, it’s a very different situation when you’re that age compared to when you’re a 25-year-old professional footballer!