HOILETT: "THE ATMOSPHERE WAS MAGNIFICENT"

Following last night’s Severnside Derby victory against Bristol City, Junior Hoilett spoke to the press at Cardiff City Stadium. After joining the club on Tuesday, Junior produced an impressive debut display against the Robins.

“It was great to get seventy minutes under my belt”, began the winger. “I felt I put in a good shift going up and down the wing. I’m delighted, I can only get fitter, so there’s hopefully more to come.”

“The atmosphere was magnificent. You can see how the players ran for each other and worked hard for the manager and the team. From the first game, everyone’s going to work hard for each other; that’s the minimum we require out of each other, to put in the extra shift, then the results will follow.”

Hoilett, a Canadian international, spoke highly of new City boss Neil Warnock, and discussed how his appointment affected his decision to join the club.

“He’s a great manager. It’s great when you have a manager who believes in you, and helps you settle in easily into a new environment. It’s good for me as player to know the manager is behind me. He’s great for the club and team, and it was a great start for the team.”

Junior continued, “From when he called me and told me he wanted me to come, I was 100% ready to go. I worked with him at QPR, and he gave me the extra boost there. I love working under Neil, and so it was a no-brainer to join Cardiff. He makes it clear what he wants. He makes it clear that if you fight for him, he’ll fight for you. That’s what you need as a manager, to back your players, and give everybody confidence, and give a lift throughout the building.”

After leaving QPR at the end of last season, Hoilett commented on his connection with his new teammates, and also praised the impact of fellow new boy and match-winner Sol Bamba.

“You could see everybody was giving it their all. Everyone was running that extra yard for each other, putting tackles in. We got the result which was great for bragging rights in a local derby. We stuck to the game-plan that the manager put out through the week, and it paid off. We worked hard for each other and got the early goal, which calmed the nerves. It got the crowd behind us, and they pushed us forward.”

On Bamba’s performance, Junior added, “He was magnificent, and to get a goal too! The way he defended was magnificent, to come straight into the side and give a performance like that is a great boost for the team, and the fan as well. We defended well throughout the game.”

“Each day in training everyone was ready, and you could see tonight how we got the performance and the result, in a derby match as well.”

Hear more from Neil Warnock, Joe Bennett and Junior Hoilett on Cardiff City Player HD now.