Peterborough have signed former Oldham central defender Guy Branston for a third time on a two-year contract. The 27-year-old has been on trial at London Road for the past few weeks and completes the move after enjoying two loan spells at Posh in the past. Branston was actually offered the chance to stay at Boundary Park for another 12 months but the lure of a two-year deal at London Road, as well as the chance to move closer to his family in Leicester, made him lean towards joining Keith Alexander's side. Givemefootball's Mark Shail caught up with Branston during pre-season training as Peterborough prepare for a promotion push in League Two.
Q:HOW DID THE MOVE TO PETERBOROUGH MATERIALISE?
A:I'd been offered a new one-year contract to stay at Oldham but I didn't think the terms were acceptable and I was waiting to see if the club was prepared to improve the deal. They kept stalling and stalling and in the end I needed to get something sorted out because time was running out. Then Peterborough got in touch with me and I trained with them for a while before agreeing a two-year contract.
Q:WERE YOU DISAPPOINTED TO LEAVE OLDHAM?
A:I was a bit disappointed because I had a lot of good times there but I thought I did a decent job for the club and can leave with my head held high. But at the end of the day I'm moving to an ambitious club and can also be closer to my family and friends in Leicester.
Q:WERE YOU HOPING TO STAY IN LEAGUE ONE?
A:Obviously I didn't want to drop down a league at this stage of my career but Oldham weren't giving me a definite answer and, if I'm honest, I don't think they were bending over backwards to keep me. All I wanted was an answer. Then I spoke to Keith Alexander and he told how much he wanted me to sign and I thought to myself 'why am I bothering chasing my own tail at a club that doesn't really want me' when Peterborough were doing all they could to try and make me feel welcome and have put a two-year deal on the table.
Q:ARE YOU HAPPY WITH THE LENGTH OF THE CONTRACT?
A:Yes, I was looking for two years from the start and in hindsight I maybe should have tried to get the option of a third year thrown in. But we'll just have to see how it goes. Hopefully we can get out of this division and will be preparing for League One football this time next year.
Q:SO YOU RATE THE CLUB'S CHANCES OF PROMOTION NEXT SEASON?
A:I think we've got a hell of a chance. Keith's been able to bring in one or two players and maybe there are a couple of others in the pipeline. The thing you first notice here is what a good atmosphere there is within the squad, and that is important for the team to do well. In fact, the first time I was introduced to the players they all came over and shook my hand and tried to make me feel welcome. I thought that was great.
Q:WHAT ARE YOUR FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF KEITH ALEXANDER?
A:He seems sound. He listens to the players, which is a rarity in football these days. He asked us how our bodies were feeling after the first few weeks of training and made sure we weren't too tired and being overworked. So from that point of view, he understands when to push his players and when not to. He certainly knows what he wants as a manager – he wants to win, and so do I.
