The gaffer has praised his squad's recent form, and discussed the importance of striking a balance between youth and experience...
FORM
"Obviously we had that drop-off before I came in, we needed to pick it back up from that point. I think form in terms of the points we’ve picked up have been particularly good and we still find ourselves in a position where we've still got a lot to do. I think you can see the belief in the players. We've played some tough matches. We've only lost one game in fourteen and we’re unbeaten in twelve."
PLAY-OFFS
"So yeah, We should take huge confidence in that and obviously this is a final hurdle in terms of making sure we get to the end of that initial job which we wanted to do, which is to secure a play-off place and then we can plan after that if we manage to be successful."
SPINE
"I think the spine of any team is vitally important. We have naturally got a relatively young squad. If you look across the age groups across the team we have a lot of young players. I think balance is crucial. I don’t think having young players is a bad thing but I think if you have too many of them in one team, that know-how, understanding, professionalism and leadership qualities you need from experienced players can be lacking."
YOUTH
"What I find young players do give you is they give you natural exuberance and lack of fear. They just get on with it and enjoy what they’re doing. So we just need to make sure we get the balance right and the balance is crucial. I think we’ve struck a better balance as time has gone on, the balance has become better and better."
EXPERIENCE
"I think back to my first game against Wimbledon where I really didn’t know many of the players very well, I think we had seven players under 21. So for us to really be a contender to compete and beat teams that have got experience, for example Sheffield Wednesday and some of the other teams that are in the play-offs you certainly need an element of experience."
