Ben’s getting to grips with position

BEN Barclay admits he is still getting to grips with his positioning at Accrington Stanley - after spending the majority of his playing time at the club as a defensive midfielder.

Barclay joined Stanley during the summer as a centre-back, but manager John Coleman has instead opted to use the 23-yearold as a defensive midfielder. While Barclay may still be a defender by trade, he insists he is happy to play in whichever position he is called upon.

“Defensive midfield has never been my actual position but I’ve had little stints there earlier in my career. I’ve been enjoying it and I feel as though I can get about the pitch a bit more, but I’m still learning the position,” he told the club’s official website. “It probably would be better if I was playing with one player regularly, but the lads I’ve played in midfield with already are all good players so it’s been fine.”

Barclay saw his Accrington side progress to the next round of the Football League Trophy with a victory over Bolton Wanderers in midweek, and he feels it is a fantastic opportunity to help the Reds play at Wembley.

He added: “We can get to the latter stages of the competition, so it has to be viewed as a good chance for the club to get to Wembley Stadium.”

Barclay began his career by coming through the youth ranks at Brighton, whilst also having a loan spell at Notts County last season before his permanent switch to Accrington.