LAST SEASON WAS AN UNUSUAL ONE FOR MARK REYNOLDS AS THE CENTRE-HALF WHO RARELY EVER MISSES A MATCH FOUND HIMSELF INJURED RIGHT AT THE OUTSET AND THEN TRYING TO PLAY CATCH UP FOR THE REST OF THE CAMPAIGN. THUS FAR THIS SEASON, MARK HAS BEEN AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE TEAM FROM DAY ONE AND BACK TO HIS BEST. WE CAUGHT UP WITH HIM TO REFLECT ON THE LAST TWELVE MONTHS…
 
Last season, you wouldn’t have got a pre-season after getting that injury in the first game?

Exactly, the pre-season was gone and that was it. It wasn’t even a case of maintaining it, our physio John Sharp said to just let it go completely, take a couple of months and then come back and build it up as my fitness would still be back before the shoulder was ready. It was hard to miss out and it can make or break you, but thankfully I came through the other side of it stronger and the shoulder feels great. I can’t speak highly enough of the physios we’ve got here and the way they got me back fit for playing. I’ve had no problems with it since. Getting a pre-season behind you is massive and hopefully I can crack on with this season.

I’m glad to put last season behind me as I didn’t get enough games for my liking. It was the first time I’d ever had a serious injury for my whole career, but obviously you need to learn how to deal with an injury and how to react. It was all new for me and I had to listen to Sharpy who was unbelievable, like all the staff, telling me I had to wait even though I felt ready. It was just constantly waiting and waiting and then I got back in, did ok and then ended up back out with a broken nose, then I had to get it re-broken and I felt like I was just constantly in and out which I’ve never been before, I’ve always been playing every week. It’s nice to be back, put that behind me, get a pre-season under my belt and now be back in, playing games week in week out.

You’ve been here five years now and must be close to one of the more senior members of the dressing room?

We discussed that at training recently. We do old vs. young teams and I think now in the old team we don’t have anyone in their 30s bar Neil Alexander, and I’ve been playing in the old team for years! You sit in the changing room where the senior players and managers say that your career goes by in an instant and you think, “Yeah I’m sure it does”, but now I’m sitting here at almost 30 thinking, “Yeah it actually does!” It flies by, but I’d like to think I’ve still got a good few years left in me. We have everyone here with a number of good years left in them, even the senior players, so it is looking good for the seasons ahead.

Is there a greater responsibility as one of the older ones?

I think there is, people definitely do look to you cause you’re older and your seniority gives your opinion that much more weight. I’m 29 like Considine, Rooney is a year younger with McGinn and Jonny Hayes. There is a group of five or six of us there who are all a similar age and I think it can be easier to have a group opposed to just one or two who are 35 or 36. I think the thing with us is that we’ve never really had an out and out leader in the changing room for a while, since Russell. Obviously Jacko is the captain and we have other boys who are ready to lead and ready to step up so really we have players all over the park who react to that. We’ve got a team that I don’t think needs a massive leader. When the chips are down, we will all have each other’s back.
 
 How do you assess the squad compared to other years?

It is looking good. Every year we seem to just get stronger and stronger. The manager’s done well with recruitment in the places where we need it. We again look stronger and I think this season we’ve almost added a new dimension to the team by bringing in Jayden.

I think we saw that in the second half against Ventspils with us scoring the three goals when he came on. Having Rooney up top by himself and trying to launch balls up to him or go more route-one we can struggle, but with him and Jayden up top, it gives us that other option and a plan B sometimes. The new boys are starting to settle in and we are beginning to see more of their personalities. Give us an insight to what they’re like.

They’ve all fitted in. It’s a great changing room and they are all still finding their feet, keeping quiet, but I’m sure we will see by the end of the season their proper personalities. They fit in well, chat away, have a bit of banter with the boys which is always good, so they’ve taken to it quite well.

You’ve got to play against Jayden in training, he’s a handful isn’t he?

Yeah, he is a big handful of a boy! He always said he prefers heading the ball than kicking it! He’s a big lad, he’s great in the air and it is good for us having that physicality up top. He’s a nice enough guy and doesn’t throw too many elbows in training. As Rooney says, he’s very ‘cultured’, maybe too cultured for this changing room, but we shall see!

Wes and Miles have real pace

Electric pace! When Wes came on the other night he took the left back on and went through gears he shouldn’t have. He’s up there with Jonny, Niall and Pete for being quick and as you say, Miles has that as well as a change of pace, good feet and can go at players. It’s exciting for the fans and us as defensive players having that in front of us and knowing what they can do to teams.

Everyone talks about stepping up the performance again this year but what’s actually involved with that?

I think it is a lot of things, but the main thing is that you go out there knowing you are going to be in a game and knowing you are going to need to perform or you’ll get punished. It should be like that for every game and whilst I’ve been at this club we’ve been lucky that nine times out of ten it has been and we’ve approached the games right. The manager always talks about preparation away from the game. They look into our fitness, our training and everything they can take care of and just ask that we get home, relax and put our feet up and go into it in the right mindset, as fit and as ready for it as we can be.

One thing we have now is options, but also an impact player on the bench, which is maybe what we’ve been lacking the last couple years, somebody to come on and change the game?

I think so. We’ve always said we’ve got 12 or 13 players who could push for a starting place and now we’ve got 15 or 16. We’ve got players on the bench now who could come on and completely change the face of the game. Wes, Miles, Jayden, Adam, Peter – all of them can do a different job for us and change the face of the game whether they are starting or are a substitute. It’s encouraging we’ve got that and as a player, when things aren’t going for you, you look to the bench to see somebody and think this could make the difference.