Last year was a season of mixed fortunes for experienced defender Guy Branston. The 26-year-old found himself out of favour at Sheffield Wednesday, following the arrival of Paul Sturrock, and decided that a move away from Hillsborough was his best chance of regular first team football. Branston then signed for Oldham and proved to be an influential figure in the Latics' narrow escape from relegation, however, his former club then went on to win the play-off final and are now preparing for life in the Championship. Givemefootball's Mark Shail is the man with the questions.
Q:HOW ARE YOU ENJOYING YOUR TIME AT OLDHAM?
A:I have enjoyed it from day one. I've worked with Ronnie Moore before at Rotherham so I knew what to expect and, although it was a nervous last few games, in the end we managed to win enough points to avoid relegation.
Q:THINGS WERE LOOKING A LITTLE BIT DODGY FOR OLDHAM AT ONE STAGE, WEREN'T THEY?
A:Yes, when I got there they were in the relegation places, but I've been in that situation before, and so has the manager, and I was always confident we could get out of trouble. It's hard for players who have been at a relegation-threatened club all season because you start to get a little edgy and apprehensive during matches, but Ronnie brought in some fresh faces at the right time and that seemed to give everyone at the club a confidence boost.
Q:WERE YOU DISAPPOINTED TO LEAVE SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY?
A:I was disappointed because it's a massive club with wonderful support. But I can't say a bad word against Paul Sturrock – he was very honest with me and told me that I didn't figure in his plans. But he didn't leave me out in the cold, like some managers would have done - he did his best to make me feel part of the squad and I won't forget that.
Q:DID YOU HAVE MIXED FEELINGS WHEN WEDNESDAY WON THE PLAY-OFF FINAL AGAINST HARTLEPOOL?
A:I couldn't bear to watch it because I was gutted that I wasn't there playing. Obviously I was delighted for the players and the supporters, but I just kept thinking to myself that it could have been me out there.
Q:LOOKING AHEAD TO NEXT SEASON, ARE YOU HOPEFUL THAT OLDHAM CAN HAVE AN IMPROVED CAMPAIGN?
A:Most definitely. Ronnie Moore knows the lower leagues better than most managers and the chairman has given him a bit of money to spend so I'm expecting to see some new faces before the end of pre-season. He's already signed Ritchie Wellens, who is one of the best midfield players in League One, while Chris Porter is player is always capable of getting goals. There is also talk of Jamie Cureton coming, so there is every reason to feel optimistic.
Q:SO ARE THE PLAY-OFFS A REALISTIC TARGET?
A:I don't see why not. It's difficult to know exactly how a team will respond the year after a relegation scrap, but I think the signs are positive. The gaffer knows what it takes to win promotion and now we have got a few more experienced players in the squad we can look to give it a real go next season.
Q:ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO PRE-SEASON TRAINING?
A:Are you joking! It’s the worst part of being a professional footballer, but we all know it has to be done. The game is becoming more and more athletic so these days the physical work is just as important as the technical training. We're actually flying out to Ibiza to play in a pre-season tournament, along with the likes of Coventry City, Bradford and Huddersfield, so that will be interesting.
