Luke Gutteridge has made a real impact since arriving at Southend in the summer and played a major role in guiding the Shrimpers to third place in the League One table. And he has been rewarded by being chosen as the PFA Fans' Player of the Month for October by givemefootball readers. The 23-year-old was part of the Cambridge United side that dropped out of the Football League last season and was delighted to be given the chance to make his mark at Roots Hall. Southend are aiming to make it two consecutive promotions under the guidance of Steve Tilson after last year's play-off success against Lincoln City, but have hit their first blip of the campaing with three straight defeats. Ian Clarkson spoke to Gutteridge after he picked up his prestigious award, as well as his hopes for the season ahead.
Q:WHAT WERE YOUR THOUGHTS WHEN YOU WON THIS AWARD?
A:I didn't really know too much anything about it but I got a phone call from my mum and the football club telling me that I had won it. A few people rang me and I was saying 'what are you on about?' but then my mum said she saw it on Sky Sports and I looked at the givemefootball website just to check.
Q:IT MUST HAVE BEEN PLEASING TO RECEIVE AN AWARD THAT IS VOTED FOR BY THE FANS?
A:Any award you win is gratefully received and the fact that it is voted for by the supporters makes it extra special. It makes you feel as though you must be doing something right and it is nice to be recognised by supporters in my first season at Southend.
Q:HOW HAVE YOU FOUND LIFE AT SOUTHEND SINCE YOU ARRIVED FROM CAMBRIDGE IN THE SUMMER?
A:I have really enjoyed it since I arrived at Roots Hall and it has been nice to prove a lot of people wrong who thought that we would be struggling in the relegation zone and made us one of the favourites to go down.
Q:ARE YOU SURPRISED AT HOW WELL YOU HAVE DONE SINCE LEAVING CAMBRIDGE?
A:It was time to leave Cambridge as I had been there five years and I only started around 14 games in the final season. A lot of those were out of position as well, so the move to Southend gave me the break I needed and the chance to play at a higher level.
Q:DO YOU THINK YOU COULD BE PROMOTED AGAIN THIS SEASON?
A:We are in a good position at present but it is the first time we had suffered back-to-back defeats all season and it is important we respond well. It is a long season and there is always going to be a time where you go through a difficult patch, but we need to try and keep things going well, as we have a tough Christmas period with some tricky games.
Q:WHAT ARE YOUR OWN PERSONAL AMBITIONS FOR THE SEASON?
A:I want to play at as high a level as possible and as well as I possibly can. Like all players I am ambitious and I want to achieve those ambitions with Southend if I can. Hopefully, this will be the first award of many but then again it might be the last award of none!
