X-Factor required on and off the pitch

Athletic’s wing wizard writes every week for Chron Sport

GILLINGHAM is our longest away trip of the season, but we tend to have a good laugh on the way down.

We all have our own little tables: I’m at the back of the coach with Mark Yeates, Connor Brown, Danny Philliskirk and Carl Winchester.

An overnight away trip at this time of year often means the new players will stand up at the hotel to sing an introductory song. I’ve done a few in my time, but thankfully I can sit back, relax and enjoy it. Tonight we’ll have Michael Higdon, Mark Yeates and Jay Fulton to admire. Jay might be a little shy, but Yeatesy certainly isn’t: he’s always singing.

Still, you get used to doing them, even though you hate it at first. I always do ‘Mysterious Girl’ by Peter Andre.

There are two ways of approaching it. Either you perform a song that everyone will laugh at, or else you do something the lads can all sing along with. Otherwise, it can all get a bit awkward. Unless you can actually sing, of course...

We even have a compere, George Edmundson, who introduces the ‘acts’. He is really good at it too!

As for the game, Gillingham have enjoyed a great start. It would be just like us after so many draws to go down there and win against a difficult side!

I think we’re making progress on the field, with the gaffer, Dean Holden and Keith Brown all getting their ideas across. After the performance against Peterborough we had to start again really to make sure we are solid and don’t get a repeat of that.

We are starting to get the right blend between keeping that base and going forward.

What we need to do now is make sure that if we do go 1-0 up, we keep that lead and add a second goal as well!