Phil Parkinson met the press ahead of the Bristol Rovers game on Saturday. Here’s everything he said…
Parkinson on automatic promotion
We have got to believe we can get there. Our recent run suggests we can. Now it is up to us to be as good as anybody else in the pack between now and the end of the season. We have to maintain our standards – that has to be the aim.
Parkinson on training standards
There can be no drop in standards in training or on a matchday. Everyone in and around the top six are on good runs, but we have got to concentrate on ourselves. We had a good week last week; we have trained well so far and now we have got to take that into Saturday’s game.
Phil Parkinson on Bailey Wright's future
There is a lot of this season left. He is going through rehab and then we will revisit it at the end of the season and have a chat with him. It is disappointing for Bailey and us because he has made a good contribution since joining. Things like this happen in football and you have got to have the squad available to deal with it - fortunately, we have that.
Parkinson on squad atmosphere
It is always difficult when you go with the same team for a prolonged period but the lads out of the team are driving the team on. From my point of view the players outside of the side are sometimes the most important.
Parkinson on defensive improvement
It is a team work ethic out of possession and the lads are buying into everything. We have intelligent defenders who can identify strengths of their opponents and put that into practice on a Saturday.
Parkinson on SAFC fans
The supporters have responded to the effort on the pitch. They have been patient and when the supporters identify they have a group of players who are honest and committed they will stick with that.
