After a sluggish start to the season, Brighton have climbed up to tenth in the League One standings on the back of an improved run of form. Last Saturday's 2-1 home victory against Cheltenham took the Seagulls to within four points of the top six and manager Dean Wilkins will be hoping his side can string together a good run over Christmas to underline their play-off credentials. Givemefootball's Mark Shail caught up with experienced midfielder Kerry Mayo, to get his thoughts on the campaign, thus far. Mayo, who set up one of Brighton's two goals against Cheltenham at the weekend, is currently in his 11th season with the club having graduated from the youth ranks in 1996.
Q:WERE YOU PLEASED WITH THE PERFORMANCE ON SATURDAY?
A:I was pleased with the result, but it certainly wasn't a classic game because Cheltenham worked hard to stop us playing and the match was a bit scrappy. They obviously did their home homework on us, packed the midfield and gave us very little time on the ball, but we dug in, kept battling and got the result we wanted in the end.
Q:WHAT DO YOU PUT THE RECENT UPTURN IN FORM DOWN TO?
A:The manager works us very hard in training and he is always demanding that we set ourselves high standards and he's disappointed if those standards drop. He knows exactly what he wants from us, both individually and collectively, and the hard work is starting to pay off. He doesn't just want us to win – he wants us to win having been at our best.
Q:HAVE THE PLAYERS HAD A CHRISTMAS PARTY YET?
A:We're actually not having it until after the New Year. We've got a very hectic schedule coming up and we need to focus everything on all the games coming up over Christmas. We've had a bit of a laugh about it – with the lads saying that Christmas has been cancelled this year – but we all understand the reasons behind it.
Q:ARE THE SQUAD LIKELY TO BE TRAINING ON CHRISTMAS DAY?
A:We're not sure yet but it's probably on the cards that we will be. It doesn't really bother me anymore because I'm used to being in training on Christmas Day. It's only likely to be for an hour or so anyway, just going through the pattern of play and set pieces for the game on Boxing Day.
Q:HAS THERE BEEN ANY RECENT NEWS ABOUT A MOVE TO A NEW GROUND?
A:To be honest I wouldn't have a clue about that, I've only read what everyone else reads in the local papers. That kind of stuff is out of our hands and left to the board members of the club to deal with. All we can do is concentrate on the playing side and not get distracted by other things out of our control.
Q:HAVE YOU BEEN HAPPY WITH YOUR FORM THIS SEASON?
A:I've been playing very well. I've only missed four games so far, and one of those was through being suspended. So far I've played in a variety of different positions – left back, right back and in midfield – but as long as I'm in the team that's all that matters. I'd say midfield was probably by preferred position, but I'm prepared to pay anywhere the manager thinks I can do a job for the side.
Q:ARE THE PLAY-OFFS A POSSIBILITY THIS SEASON?
A:I had a look at the table this week and we're only four points off the play-offs with more than half the season left. Four points is not a lot and a top six finish has to be our target now. Things have gone well over the last couple of months and hopefully we can pick up a few more points over Christmas.
