‘I deserved a chance’

SEAN Gregan believes his career at Athletic is over.

The 36-year-old, outstanding last season, has been frozen out of the first-team picture this time around.

Manager Paul Dickov has preferred to use two of captain Reuben Hazell, Jason Jarrett and Jean-Yves Mvoto as centre-backs in his new-look side.

It has left Gregan cutting a frustrated figure on the sidelines and his request to be made available for loan was granted by the club two weeks ago.

Now, having agreed a three-month deal to join ambitious Blue Square Bet Premier club Fleetwood Town, which he expects to officially wrap up tomorrow, the former Preston and Leeds man has expressed his sadness at the way affairs have transpired at Boundary Park.

“I have said all along that I just want to play,” said Gregan, who emphasised that it was his choice to hand over the captaincy to Hazell last week.

“I would have thought that after last season I deserved a chance in the side, but that is football I suppose.

“I understand the management wanted to go down a different route. But I would rather have been told in pre-season instead of hanging around for a dozen games waiting for a chance that was never going to come. I don’t think it has been handled particularly well.”

Even once his loan spell is up in January, Gregan doesn’t expect to add to his 132 appearances in an Athletic shirt.

But despite the manner of his exit from the club, the man who made 75 consecutive Athletic appearances up to the end of last season remains enthusiastic about football.

Four Football League clubs and two from the Conference, including Fleetwood, wanted to bring him in.

And Gregan, who lives in Preston, said he was pleased to have arranged the switch to the West coast.

“It is a great set-up at Fleetwood,” he added.

“They are building a new £4million stand, are full-time and very professionally-run.

“At this stage of my career I need to be playing football, and a move too far away from home wouldn’t suit me in terms of seeing my three children.”

Gregan will work under Fleetwood manager Micky Mellon, the former Blackpool midfielder who guided the club to promotion last season by defeating Alfreton in the Blue Square North play-off final.