Swindon pulled off one of the most eye-catching results in League One last weekend, after Danny Wilson’s men fought back from two goals down to beat Scunthorpe 4-2 at the County Ground. That victory gives the Robins a two-point cushion between themselves and the drop zone and another three points against Wilson’s former club Hartlepool tonight would put the Wiltshire outfit level on points with the Monkeyhangers.
Givemefootball’s Mark Shail spoke exclusively to experienced striker Lee Peacock, who came off the bench to score against Scunny on Saturday. The former Bristol City front man, who played under Wilson at Ashton Gate, has been hampered by a back injury this season and his appearance against the Iron was his first for a month.
YOU MUST HAVE BEEN PLEASED TO RETURN TO ACTION WITH A GOAL?
Yes, it was nice to be back although my back problems are ongoing and I think it’s a case of just managing the injury as best I can because I’ll probably end up needing an operation. I’ve got a slipped disc and I’ve now had five or six injections that have enabled me to get through training and games. I’m not sure I’ll be able to have any more.
UP UNTIL YOUR BACK PROBLEMS, YOU WERE BEING USED IN AN UNFAMILIAR MIDFIELD ROLE, WEREN’T YOU?
Yes, but when Danny came in I told him that if at all possible I would prefer to play up front – that’s the position I’ve played for almost my entire career. With that in mind, I was pleased that he stuck me on as a striker against Scunthorpe.
THINGS HAVE IMPROVED SINCE DANNY’S ARRIVAL, HAVEN’T THEY?
Yes, I’ve worked with him before and he’s great manager. He’s got everyone at the club in a positive frame of mind and all the squad are on their toes because he has chopped and changed the side a lot since he came in. Just because you play three games on the spin and results have been good, doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be in the side for the next one. We’ve also become a lot more organised and everyone knows their jobs and the jobs of their team-mates alongside them.
AND NOW IT’S HARTLEPOOL TONIGHT?
Yes, it’s another important game and we just need to keep picking up points. It’s been a bit frustrating lately because results have been okay but the teams in and around us have been getting results as well so we haven’t been able to make as much progress in the table as we would have liked.
HAVING WORKED WITH DANNY BEFORE, HAVE YOU BEEN SURPRISED WITH ALL THE TINKERING TO THE TEAM?
I have been surprised because when I worked with him at Bristol City he tended to keep a settled side if things were going well. But I suppose it’s case of him having a good look at all the players available to him – he hasn’t been able to that before because he obviously wasn’t here for pre-season. I think at the moment he’s adopting a ‘horses for courses’ policy – and it is working.
HOW HIGHLY DO YOU RATE YOUR STRIKE PARTNER SIMON COX?
He’s different class – the finished article. He’s got pace, scores goals and can go short or long – but the one thing about him is that he works his socks off. He reminds me of Leroy Lita (who Peacock played alongside at Bristol City) in that sense. He’s more than capable of playing at a higher level. It’s probably only a matter of time before he does. I know the gaffer has already hinted that we may find it hard to keep him here in the summer.
