Waiting game is no use to Neal

NEAL Trotman is keen to get matches under his belt — quickly.

The centre-back, on loan from Preston for his second spell at Boundary Park, has had to sit it out in frustration along with the rest of the squad as fixtures against Walsall and Swindon Town slipped away as a result of poor weather.

But the 23-year-old former Burnley trainee is more in need of game-time than most.

Trotman hasn't played a single minute of first-team football this term and his last senior appearance was for Huddersfield in last season's npower League One play-offs.

"The whole idea (of coming to Athletic) was to get games and I was excited to get going," said Trotman, who was an unused substitute in the last outing at Rochdale and is likely to once again be on the substitutes’ bench at MK Dons tomorrow.

"Then two of the first three games were called off. I am here just for the banter I think!

"I can't really think about it (extending a loan into a second month) as I haven't played due to the games all being called off.

"My main priority is to play, so I will take it from there really."

Trotman, whose one-month loan runs out just before Christmas, could well come into his own should he stick around with Athletic for a busy January period.

After turning out for League One high-flyers Southampton and Huddersfield last season, he feels he could easily have been handed a chance at Preston in the Championship.

"I think I have been quite unfortunate as I don't think I have done much wrong," said Trotman on his stalled Deepdale career which has featured only three first-team appearances in almost two full seasons.

"The games I have played in, I have done really well.

"I woudn't say I am surprised, it is just the way the manager thinks and I have got to respect his decision and his way of thinking.

"The best thing I can do is to get on with it and whoever I play for, just do my best.

"I really enjoyed it at Southampton and came close to signing permanently for them in December.

"But Alan Irvine, the Preston manager at the time, didn't want me to go there.

"Alan Pardew (then-Saints manager) wished me the best of luck and at that time I thought I was going to get into the Preston side.

"But Alan got sacked, unfortunately, and Darren Ferguson came in.

"He told me that it was up to me to leave if I needed games as I would be on the bench.

"I didn't want to just sit around, especially after playing so many games for Southampton, so luckily for me Huddersfield came in."

Trotman played for 45 minutes for Athletic in the 2-1 closed-doors defeat at Blackburn on Tuesday.