Having bounced back from a defeat to Brighton with an impressive victory over Wolves, Craig Conway has no doubts about the confidence and spirit of his side ahead of Saturday’s match against Middlesbrough.
“Obviously losing to Brighton was disappointing, especially at home,” he said. “But we bounced back straight away with a great win at Wolves. We knew it was a tough place before we went there as they are fighting for their lives, so to get three points was brilliant and gets us back on track. Last time, when we lost to Peterborough, we answered any questions straight away and got back into winning ways as well.
“I thought we played well against Brighton, though, and had enough chances to win a few games. It was just one of those nights that it wasn’t happening for us, and to be fair, Brighton played well to catch us on the counter. But the manager focused on how well we had played - and then, away to Wolves, I think the first half was probably the best we’ve played in a while, if not this season. I don’t think there was any problem with confidence at all.”
The star man in that away win at Wolves was new recruit Fraizer Campbell, who grabbed another brace to take his tally in the City shirt to five goals.
Craig has been impressed by his new teammate’s first few games, saying, “Frazier has done really well since he’s come in. He’s scoring goals and, as you saw with the ones he got on Sunday, they are poachers’ goals, which is really good to see. I think he adds a bit of freshness up front and obviously he’s got some pace as well, so he’s fitted in really well.”
Moving on to this weekend’s match, Craig was full of praise for Tony Mowbray’s men despite their recent drop in form.
Of Middlesbrough he added, “To be honest, I think they’re one of the best teams we’ve played. It’s always a tough game against Middlesbrough and they keep possession really well. Obviously that’s the way that Tony Mowbray likes to play – they pass it around and are all good on the ball. Hopefully we can go up there and get a good result. We’ve been playing well away from home so we’ll try and continue that into this game.
“I’m really happy having had a good run of games. I’ve been in the side for a while now, obviously I had a wee nick in my hamstring, but it’s good to back and I’m having no problems with that, so I’m really happy. I’ve always stressed that I want to play and I’m confident in my own ability, so I’ve just been happy that the manager’s stuck with me, and I’ve hopefully paid him back with some good performances.”
Finally, with the news that Mark Hudson’s ankle injury will keep him out for at least a couple of games, Craig is confident that the squad has enough strength in depth to cover the skipper’s absence, adding, “Mark has been one of the top players this season. I think the good news is that his injury’s not as bad as it first looked, so hopefully he’ll be back in a couple of weeks. We’ve had a few injuries at the back over the course of the season and every time somebody’s stepped up to the plate and done really well, so I’m sure that won’t be a problem.”