Scott Laird came into the side at the very last minute at Gillingham on Tuesday and his grin was as wide as the Medway Tunnel after being part of a winning side.
Speaking to PNE.Com after the game he was delighted to be a part of a side that picked up their third win on the road of the season with a 1-0 triumph at the Priestfield Stadium.
“I haven’t played there for a while, but I have played there previously in my career and I am happy to play there,” said the No.3 about his late call up to be involved at right back. “I have a lot of strings to my bow in terms of positions I can play and sometimes that can help you and other times it can hinder you, but I got the call very late and I was happy to play and happy to get the win, because that is the most important thing.
“I just love playing football.
“Everyone was shouting my name in the warm up, I got the call and was straight over, like a little kid at Christmas. It was great to be in the game and most importantly we got the three points, because that is all that matters.
“You have to take the chance when you get it. Just look at Buchs, he was almost out of it, not even featuring on the bench, but he got his chance and has taken it. He is my position and now I have to wait my turn and when it comes along I have to take it.
“I had a steady performance on Tuesday. It is a bit different, trying to get your bearings, but I really enjoyed it. When you are showing a guy down the right side, when you normally show them down the left it is a little bit different. When you receive the ball you don’t know whether to check inside or go outside either. It took 15 or 20 minutes to get into the game, but after that I felt good.
“You have to prepare right. We have a great squad here. The whole squad are extremely professional and everyone is ready to play at any time, it is a great testament to the whole squad that they keep themselves ready to go.
“Hunts was another great example of that. He has waited for his chance and when it has come along he has taken it. It was a clean sheet for him, a great header, a good goal and a good solid performance. He is a good solid, no-nonsense defender and did well.”
And as well as his own performance and the collective team performance, the former Plymouth man was quick to praise the fans for their contributiuon.
“Not just from me, but from the whole squad, the fans were excellent,” he added. “They were loud and brilliant to have there and at the end the lads couldn’t wait to get across to show their appreciation.
“It shows what a great connection we have with the fans, especially away from home. There is a lot of passion shown by them and we need to start creating that at home and if we can do that, with six wins on the bounce, we are going to be a foce to be reckoned with.
“We have shown great professionalism to win games recently. You can hear home fans getting frustrated by what you do, but they would do the same thing if they were 1-0 up at our place. At the start of the season we dropped a couple of points because we didn’t show that same professionalism, but not we are.
“We are doing it the right way; no one is taking the mickey, we are taking our time and ultimately winning games.”
“I haven’t played there for a while, but I have played there previously in my career and I am happy to play there,” said the No.3 about his late call up to be involved at right back. “I have a lot of strings to my bow in terms of positions I can play and sometimes that can help you and other times it can hinder you, but I got the call very late and I was happy to play and happy to get the win, because that is the most important thing.
“I just love playing football.
“Everyone was shouting my name in the warm up, I got the call and was straight over, like a little kid at Christmas. It was great to be in the game and most importantly we got the three points, because that is all that matters.
“You have to take the chance when you get it. Just look at Buchs, he was almost out of it, not even featuring on the bench, but he got his chance and has taken it. He is my position and now I have to wait my turn and when it comes along I have to take it.
“I had a steady performance on Tuesday. It is a bit different, trying to get your bearings, but I really enjoyed it. When you are showing a guy down the right side, when you normally show them down the left it is a little bit different. When you receive the ball you don’t know whether to check inside or go outside either. It took 15 or 20 minutes to get into the game, but after that I felt good.
“You have to prepare right. We have a great squad here. The whole squad are extremely professional and everyone is ready to play at any time, it is a great testament to the whole squad that they keep themselves ready to go.
“Hunts was another great example of that. He has waited for his chance and when it has come along he has taken it. It was a clean sheet for him, a great header, a good goal and a good solid performance. He is a good solid, no-nonsense defender and did well.”
And as well as his own performance and the collective team performance, the former Plymouth man was quick to praise the fans for their contributiuon.
“Not just from me, but from the whole squad, the fans were excellent,” he added. “They were loud and brilliant to have there and at the end the lads couldn’t wait to get across to show their appreciation.
“It shows what a great connection we have with the fans, especially away from home. There is a lot of passion shown by them and we need to start creating that at home and if we can do that, with six wins on the bounce, we are going to be a foce to be reckoned with.
“We have shown great professionalism to win games recently. You can hear home fans getting frustrated by what you do, but they would do the same thing if they were 1-0 up at our place. At the start of the season we dropped a couple of points because we didn’t show that same professionalism, but not we are.
“We are doing it the right way; no one is taking the mickey, we are taking our time and ultimately winning games.”