Louis Carey – Bristol City: Exclusive PFA interview

Bristol City picked up an important 2-0 away win at Plymouth last night and that victory has lifted the Robins into the top half of the table. Having reached the play-off final last season, Gary Johnson’s men will be hoping to make it to the post-season knock-outs once more and, with three home matches to come in their next four games, there is every chance City can make further ground on the top six. Givemefootball’s Mark Shail spoke exclusively to the club’s stalwart skipper Louis Carey, a player closing in on 500 senior appearances for the club, to get his thoughts on last night’s important victory at Home Park.

YOU MUST HAVE BEEN DELIGHTED WITH THE WIN AY PLYMOUTH?
Yes, we’ve been playing well for the last seven or eight games without picking up the three points – we drew too many matches. But we’ve now won our last two matches away from home and, apart from the home defeat against Portsmouth in the FA Cup, things have been going well.

PLYMOUTH BOSS PAUL STURROCK SAID LAST NIGHT’S GAME COULD HAVE GONE EITHER WAY?
They played well in the first half without creating any clear-cut chances but I thought we dominated things after the break. But it was difficult for both sides because the pitch was really heavy – in fact the referee wanted to call the game off but Gary Johnson and Paul Sturrock agreed to play it because so many of our fans had already made the journey down to Plymouth.

ARE THE PLAY-OFFS NOW THE TARGET?
That’s what we’re looking to achieve and we’ve set ourselves a points target for the next five or six games. A few of those matches are at home so if we can win four or five of the next six that should put us in the mix. I know there are still a few sides ahead of us in the table but a lot of those teams have still got to play each other and everyone seems to be taking points off each other.

WHO IS THE BEST TEAM YOU HAVE SEEN IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP THIS SEASON?
Wolves beat us 3-0 at their place and are very strong but I thought that win flattered them a bit. I’ve said all along that I thought Reading would win the title because in my opinion they are far and away the best team in the division.

ONCE AGAIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP IS SO TIGHT, ISN’T IT?
It’s amazing how close this league always is. Last season, when we reached the play-off final, we still had a chance to get automatic promotion until the last few games – but Stoke finished the season on a good run and ended up going up with West Brom. It’s amazing to think that the bottom three sides – Charlton, Southampton and Derby were all in the Premiership only a couple of years ago. But things can change very quickly – look at Forest – they were bottom a few weeks ago but have now won their last five to climb out of the relegation zone.

DO YOU THIINK THERE WILL BE ANY NEW ARRIVALS AT ASHTON GATE THIS MONTH?
It’s difficult to say because the gaffer doesn’t usually give too much away. We’ve had a couple of players in on trial and it may be the case that they end up signing. I know the manager has been looking for another central defender because we’re a bit short in that department at the moment.