Ready for a day at the seaside

We´ve got a long trip down to Brighton today. On the coach there will be a few games of cards going on, some lads read the papers and others play on their computers. There are DVD players, iPods and all sorts going on. Modern technology gives you a lot of options to stay entertained…

We´ll train down in Brighton today and get a good night´s sleep before tomorrow´s game at the Withdean.

After the Leeds win we have got a spring back in our step and we really want to kick on with another three points. It´s a little, old stadium at Brighton and it´s really open to the elements. It´s quite a basic ground and there´s an athletics track that runs round the outside. If the ball goes out it´s a £7 taxi ride to get back onto the pitch. But, saying that, it´s not a bad pitch, I´ve played on a lot worse.

Obviously Stan Ternent is no longer our manager. We knew he was under pressure because results weren’t going so well but it did come as a bit of a shock because we’d won on the Saturday against Crewe. It was time to make a change before things happened, or before results carried on the way they were going. Comings and goings are all part of football – players move on and managers move on. You´ve got to get used to it. I am used to it, it´s the third manager I´ve had here since I arrived and that was only two and a half years ago!

Gerry Murphy is back as caretaker manager and that´s great. It keeps us settled as Gerry knows the club inside-out. I broke the clean sheet record under him last year and I´ve broken our 25-year Elland road record this time, so that´s bodes well. Gerry is great to talk to and to play with, it makes it an easy transition for us. The club won´t rush to appoint anyone and I don’t think they need to, Gerry is the right man for now.

I´ll be back soon with more. Take care, Matt.