team mates
Best mate at the club? Probably Mark Marshall. He sits next to me in the changing room. I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing but sometimes he chews your ears off. When he’s not playing, he can be the worst person in the world because he cries to me but, to be fair, I get on well with him. I have my own room. I’ve shared with Bayo Akinfenwa before and that was my last room-mate. I learned quite early not to have a partner – Bayo snoring, making him teas every two seconds; I realised early I needed my own room! Last to buy dinner? Probably Pat (Bauer). He’s quite tight. In the back of the bus, they have a card school and he’s always owing people money. When he’s owed money – whether it’s a fiver or a pound – he’s quick to ask! The Fifa king? I’m too old for that. I don’t know if some of the younger lads play it but not me. Worst dressed? Lyle Taylor. He gets everything free from social media – they’re terrible. He came to our Christmas party in a bright yellow hoodie and that didn’t go down too well. The pre-match dressing room DJ? It’s Dillon Phillips. To be fair, most of the boys have an input. The captain, Jason Pearce, texts everyone to have a song each, so everyone has a choice. Because he gives everyone a choice, everyone’s happy in the main. Lately, it’s been 80s classics and it’s been going down well with the older management squad. Late for training? The Arsenal boy – Krystian Bielik. He’s got the quickest car in the world and you can hear him when he comes into the training ground. It’s lucky he’s a good player, otherwise he’d be in trouble. Teacher’s pet? That’d be Lyle Taylor. They call him Lyle Bowyer round here! I think he was Lee’s main signing this year and, to be fair, he’s scored a lot of goals. They get on quite well and all the boys would probably say him. First on the dancefloor? Probably Dillon Phillips. He’s not the best dancer. He’s just signed a new contract and the boys were saying in the group chat that at least we’ve got Dillon for the next few years for the Christmas party. He’s a character. Starts dancing to himself and has his own song. He likes to sing ‘Shake It Up Baby’ and it gets the place rocking. Most likely to disgrace themselves at the Christmas party? I’ve only been on the one. Probably Patrick Bauer – he’s just got a different sense of humour to everyone else. The worst tattoo? I haven’t really looked. I know Lewis Page is into his tattoos but I couldn’t tell you what they are. He’s the only one I can think of who’s got tattoos. Going to make the best manager? Probably Chris Solly, the vice-skipper. In the changing room, he’s the one that speaks up. I think he’s done his badges and has his own academy. He’s been here a long time. The young lads look up to him and when he talks in the changing room, he talks a lot of sense.