Yeovil's great FA Cup adventure came to an end last week when were beaten 3-2 by Premiership opposition - Charlton Athletic. It was a top class performance from the renowned giantkillers but it is back to reality with a bang this week. The Glovers will be trying to glean their seventh win on the road this season when they travel to fifth place Macclesfield tomorrow in what is sure to be a tough clash. Gary Johnson's' men have already racked up 61 goals this season and are top of the pile in their bid to become the first ever Yeovil team to play in League One. It will be an extra-special moment for Andy Lindegaard if that happens as he has been with the club since the age of 16. He has been an integral part of the rise from the Conference to Football League and has played over 100 games for the Somerset club. And, as he exclusively revealed to Ian Clarkson, promotion is very much on the agenda at Huish Park this season.
Q:WERE YOU PLEASED WITH THE WAY THE TEAM ACQUITED THEMSELVES AGAINST CHARLTON?
A:We were very happy with the way we played and it was a really impressive performance. We could have bought them back to Huish Park, which would have been a great achievement and I believe our level of performance has really enhanced our reputation.
Q:WHAT WERE THE PLUS POINTS YOU TOOK FROM THAT GAME?
A:We have watched it on video a couple of times and we had them penned in their own half for the final ten minutes. Don't get me wrong, they could have scored more goals but the pleasing thing was that we didn't fold after they went ahead and we kept playing our passing game. It was great experience personally to test yourself against Premiership players and I probably learned more playing against them than I have done for a long time. If you switch off for one second they will punish you and your concentration levels need to be so high.
Q:IT IS BACK TO THE BREAD AND BUTTER OF CHASING PROMOTION THIS SATURDAY THOUGH ISN'T IT?
A:It is back to earth with a bang as there will only be around 2,000 fans at Macclesfield on Saturday. However, we are focused on what we want to achieve this season and we know that Macclesfield will be a very tough game. They are in the play-off zone and I know they beat Notts County 5-0 a couple of weeks ago so we are aware of them. Hopefully they will have seen us play against Charlton though and they will be aware of us too.
Q:WOULD PROMOTION MEAN A LOT TO YOU AS A LOCAL LAD?
A:Being a local lad means that I am always speaking to people in and around the town and promotion would mean a lot to me, as well as the supporters. We felt that we should have reached at least the play-offs last season but we missed out on the last day, which was a setback. However, we came into this season confident and as we were on top of the table at Christmas it would be a massive disappointment if we weren't promoted automatically.
Q:IS THE GOOD FOOTBALLING STYLE YOU ADOPT DOWN TO THE MANAGER?
A:Gary Johnson arrived four years ago and his philosophy was to try and play football at all times. He signed a lot of young lads of a similar age who were willing to listen and go along with his plans. The team's confidence has grown and grown and this is definitely the best team Yeovil have ever had in their history.
Q:WERE YOU RELIEVED THAT HE TURNED DOWN AN APPROACH FROM COVENTRY CITY OVER THEIR VACANT MANAGER'S JOB?
A:The gaffer is such a good manager that he is bound to attract interest from bigger clubs. We know that we are privileged to have him as our manager and it is great that he has shown loyalty to the club. I think he knows the job isn't finished yet and that hopefully we can go on even further.
Q:SO HOW FAR CAN THIS YEOVIL SQUAD GO?
A:Who knows? The first job is to get into the next division and then try and establish ourselves at that level. We can build from there and it will be a new experience for a lot of the lads who haven't played at that level before. We certainly enjoyed the challenge of facing Premiership opposition - albeit on a one-off basis - and it would be nice to think that we can keep testing ourselves against better opposition.
