DREAM TEAM

DEREK ASAMOAH – The Carlisle United striker chooses his favourite XI, made up from players he has played with in his football career.

GOALKEEPERI

Alan Marriott – Unattached He isn’t the biggest keeper in the world but he is very good. As outfield players at Lincoln City, we didn’t feel too worried because we knew he would do well for us. He commands his area and is confident in his own abilities.

RIGHT BACKI

Alex Baptiste – Blackburn Rovers He is fast, very competitive and good going forwards supporting the strikers. If ever I played on the right-hand side of the forward line, he was often right behind me, so I got to work with him a lot.

CENTRE BACKI

Kelvin Langmead – Northampton Town When I first went to Shrewsbury he was a striker and that experience helps him read the movement of opposition forwards and is what makes him such a good defender.

CENTRE BACKI

Gareth McAuley – West Brom He has great presence in the box with his aggressive style and wins so many balls that are put in the penalty area. He is a brilliant one-onone defender as well, you do not see many players going past him. He’s a real leader on the pitch.

LEFT BACKI

Marc Tierney – Bolton He has a brilliant left foot and provides great diagonal passes, which was perfect with me playing on the right-hand side. He has a lot of pace and our defence at Shrewsbury was always more comfortable when he was around.

RIGHTI MIDFIELDI

John Hodge – Retired He was very technical, I remember seeing him turn defenders inside-out and the crowd loved him. He was difficult to mark and always entertaining to watch. In his last game for Northampton he scored one of the most amazing goals I have ever seen – he basically beat everyone on the pitch!

CENTRALI MIDFIELDI

Alex Neil – Retired He was an intelligent player, he could see a pass in any situation and was always one step ahead. He didn’t take many touches either. He is a very humble guy off the field, has a presence in the dressing room and he reads the game really well, so I think he will do great as Norwich manager.

CENTRALI MIDFIELDI

Nat Brown – Lincoln He spent a lot of time in defence when I was at Lincoln, but when he played in midfield he was very good too. He was a Patrick Vieira type of player, he had a huge presence in midfield. He is always willing to go that extra yard and cover for you.

LEFT MIDFIELDI

Chris Carruthers – Brackley Town We had a really good understanding on the field and played well together. We even went head-to-head in a play-off final when I was playing for Shrewsbury and he was at Bristol Rovers. He will beat his opponent eight times out of ten and that helps him put great balls into the box.

STRIKERI

Leo Fortune-West – Retired He was my main strike partner at Shrewsbury. He had a big presence up front, so would attract the attention of defenders which left me a lot of space. Our partnership helped get us to a play-off final.

STRIKERI

Jamie Forrester – Retired The way he tried to utilise his space and speed was incredible. He was a goal machine and a pleasure to play with. He kept defenders on their toes because of his intelligence and how much he hustled. We played well together and built a good understanding.