Two weeks into his return to training, Tom Chafer caught up with goalkeeper Sam Slocombe to found out how his recovery from a shoulder injury is going.
When do you feel you will be returning to action?I’ve been training for the last week and this will be my second full week. I've been in a fortunate situation where three or four weeks I’ve been able to do specific kinds of goalkeeping exercises to build my fitness up. I'm a professional and, at the end of this week my second week of training, I would consider myself fully fit. It’s always good to get some games under yourself so I'm looking to play some games and push Bobby Olejnik.
How was your first training session under the new management team?
It was good. He wants to see us play with the ball. He doesn’t mind us mixing it up a bit as well. When a new manager comes in you have to accept his opinions and he has a new way of playing. We are all looking forward to it.
How much more confidence has it given you seeing the team win 3-0 at Gillingham?
It was a good game. The realistic side is that we played against ten men for a good hour, but we played against them really well. You see teams in that situation and they can’t break them down. The thing I really enjoyed watching the game was how we managed to transition between a 4-5-1 and a 4-3-3. Tactically, we were very expansive - and calm on the ball. It was refreshing to see that.
How do you feel Bobby Olejnik has done in his short stay at the club?
Bobby has been fantastic. It’s hard for loan players to come in because you have already got a parent club so whatever happens here he could go back to his parent club. So to come to the club and take it to heart like Bobby has is great. I would say the same with Shaun Brisley - they have joined the group and played very well. Luckily for Peterborough, he was player of the season. You don’t get that for being a bad goalie. He’s done really well.
Do you feel you have to prove yourself more now you have a new manager?
It’s the same whenever a new manager comes in. Some managers will come in and already have a clear picture of you; some will come in and have a clear slate. They will have different opinions about you depending on what they see. It’s normal - it’s like any other job. If a manager comes in you want to make a good impression. But to me it doesn’t change anything - I will train the same and be the person that I am. I am quite confident that he will like me for that.