He may be the oldest outfield player in the Football League, but Oldham's David Eyres can still mix it with the best of them in League One. Last Saturday the 40-year-old midfielder scored a stunning free kick against Colchester to rank alongside any of the many goals he has scored in his long and successful career. Givemefootball's Mark Shail caught up with Eyres to get the secret behind his age-defying process.
Q:TELL US ABOUT THIS WONDER GOAL LAST WEEKEND?
A:It was about 35 yards out and I just thought I would have a dig and, luckily, I struck it just right. Our manager, Brian Talbot, was apparently screaming at me from the dug-out not to shoot because he thought it was too far out for a shot. But fortunately I didn't hear him and I think I caught the Colchester goalkeeper a bit off guard.
Q:WAS IT ONE OF THE BEST YOU HAVE EVER SCORED?
A:I would say it's definitely up there. It is not often that you score a goal from that far out, but I knew as soon as I struck it that there was a chance it could creep in.
Q:IS IT FAIR TO SAY THAT OLDHAM HAVE HAD A SLOW START SO FAR?
A:We've played well in certain games but our problem has been our inconsistency, particularly away from home. We should certainly be sitting a few places higher in the table because we have drawn two or three games that we really should have won. Our confidence was a bit low after being beaten 6-0 by Spurs in the Carling Cup and I think that affected us for a couple of matches.
Q:HOW DO YOU MANAGE KEEP PERFORMING AT THIS LEVEL AT THE AGE OF 40?
A:I don't really know. I suppose I have been lucky in my career because I have never suffered serious injury, touch wood! I've always looked after myself off the field and I'm fortunate because my weight has stayed the same pretty much throughout the whole of my career.
Q:ARE YOU PLANNING TO CONTINUE PLAYING BEYOND THIS SEASON?
A:I would certainly like to carry on if I still feel I can make a contribution. At the moment I feel I am playing well but the end of the season is six or seven months off so we'll just have to wait and see. The gaffer here has been great to me - giving me an extra day off to recover from matches, and that has helped. The most important thing is that I am still enjoying it and I feel as hungry as ever.
Q:SOUNDS AS THOUGH YOU ARE ENJOYING WORKING WITH BRIAN TALBOT?
A:Very much so, he knows exactly what he wants from his players and the way he wants his team to play. His man-management is excellent and he is always very positive. He doesn't rant and rave like some managers, he is always very calm and I think that helps the players to relax on the field.
Q:WOULD YOU LIKE TO MOVE INTO COACHING WHEN YOU EVENTUALLY HANG UP YOUR BOOTS?
A:When Brian Talbot first came to the club he offered me a coaching position, but I declined it because I wanted to focus fully on my playing career. I would eventually like to take up coaching, but at the moment I'm putting 100 per cent into the playing side of things.
Q:WHAT DO YOU THINK IS A REALISTIC TARGET FOR OLDHAM THIS TERM?
A:It's still very early in the season but, despite our slow start, I don't think a play-off spot is unrealistic. There is only a four-point gap between us and the top six so if we can string together two or three wins things can change very quickly. We travel to Brentford on Saturday, which will be a tough match, but I would like to think we could get something out of the game.
