Luke Guttridge

Midfielder Luke Guttridge scored two goals in two games last month, including the vital 'golden goal' winner at Luton in the LDV Vans Trophy, and ended that week by being named in the Nationwide Team of the Week, along with Shane Tudor:

"It's nice to be named in that," admits the Devon-born 20-year-old. "I wanted to pick up where I left off last year but I've struggled to find my form in patches this year, but I had a meeting with the gaffer and he told me I need to relax more, and it seems to have paid off. I've been happier with my performances and happy in general, so it's nice to be named in the team of the week.

"Being a young lad you want to go out and impress every week but if things aren't going well I sometimes wind myself up and try too hard, so the gaffer said to me 'just relax and let the football happen' and that's what I've done, and I've started enjoying my football again."

Asked to talk us through the 114th minute goal at Kenilworth Road, his first of the season, the midfielder says, "The gaffer and Brooksie and some of the lads have been on my back saying it was because I was too lazy to get back, but I just passed my runner onto Tanny and ran forward and Franco knocked the ball to me, the keeper came rushing out and I didn't really have a lot of time to think about it.

"The lads said I had a lot of time but the keeper came out and I tried to kick the ball past him and it ended in the back of the net, so it was just instinctive really."

Of his celebration, which included his shirt coming off despite the freezing weather conditions, Luke recalls, "I saw the goal hit the net but I wasn't sure if it was golden goal or not so I turned to the lads first and then I just took my shirt off, although I wish I hadn't now because I haven't got the best of physiques for it! But it was a great feeling.

"As a midfielder your aim is to score as many goals as you can by breaking forward from midfield to help the strikers, and it's something that I've had to work on. I've never been a prolific goalscorer but it's something that I want to add to my game. It's always nice to get on the scoresheet. It's been a long while coming for me this year and it's put us through to the next round and hopefully it will earn us some extra money."

When the squad is fully fit there is stern competition for places throughout the side and Luke has had to vie for a place in midfield with experienced campaigners Paul Wanless, Terry Fleming and youngsters David Bridges and Franco Nacca, but he feels that it is a healthy situation for the club. "Competition for places isn't hard to cope with because, as most footballers will tell you, if you're not playing well then you don't expect to be playing," he says.

"But it's good because it keeps you on your toes and you can't take your foot off the gas, and when there's competition for places that can only be good for the club. Another good thing is when people have been injured it hasn't really weakened the side because the people who have stepped in have done well.

"Everyone says it, but there's a good team spirit and everyone's happy at the club. Our main aim this year is to get promotion and when the team's successful everyone is in high spirits and there's that extra little buzz, so if you come in and you're feeling a bit down, the other lads will pick you up."

The season is entering a critical phase of the league campaign and success in the FA Cup and LDV Vans Trophy means games are coming thick and fast at the moment, but Luke is looking forward to the busy weeks ahead.

"That's what you want as a footballer, to be involved in the big games," he says. "We've got a lot of important games coming up now, with Hartlepool twice, Bournemouth and Rushden & Diamonds - who are all above us - in a matter of weeks. So it's a very important time of the season for us and if we can stay in the top three or so, then hopefully we can push on from there and go for promotion."

Luke has played in several midfield roles this season but he prefers the involvement of a central role, adding, "My favourite position is in the centre but I can play on both wings, which gives the manager something extra."

Away from football he enjoys the fresh air of countryside pursuits and spent much of last summer surfing in the south-west, although he admits that his beach neckwear took some living down in the changing room: "I get a bit of stick from the lads because I live away in the country. This summer I did a lot of surfing and I've got this necklace that the lads take the Mick out of, but I quite enjoy natural things like surfing and a bit of fishing, things that people in the towns don't really do."

Looking ahead, Luke's aims for the rest of the season are simple: "My main aim is to keep my recent form going and carrying on improving my own performances as well as the team's. Obviously it would be nice to get promotion and maybe go on a little cup run, and if we can get a result against Millwall maybe we can get a really big team in the next round."

Interviews with the manager and players are archived for you to listen to on our U's World multimedia website, and until the end of January you can subscribe for six months at just £14.99 and get two months FREE! Click for details.

An edited version of this article was published in the programme for the FA Cup match against Bristol Rovers on Saturday 21st December 2002.

Previous Featured Players:
09Jan03 - Omer Riza
01Jan03 - Stev Angus
17Dec02 - Jonathan Heathcote
04Dec02 - Franco Nacca
21Nov02 - Warren Goodhind
11Nov02 - Adam Tann
04Nov02 - Daniel Chillingworth
28Oct02  - Shane Tudor
21Oct02  - Phil Warner
09Oct02  - Dave Kitson
30Sep02 - Andy Duncan
18Sep02 - Shaun Marshall
17Jul02  - Jonathan Heathcote
21Apr02 - Your Players of the Year
07Apr02 - Danny Jackman
31Mar02 - Terry Fleming
24Mar02 - Five Star Youth - next season's new pros
17Mar02 - Neil Mustoe
10Mar02 - Tony Scully
03Mar02 - Shaun Marshall
24Feb02 - Fred Murray
17Feb02 - John Taylor
10Feb02 - Andy Duncan
03Feb02 - Ian Ashbee
27Jan02  - Dave Kitson
20Jan02  - Shane Tudor
13Jan02  - Daniel Chillingworth
06Jan02  - Stev Angus
17Dec01 - Adam Butterworth
09Dec01 - Demba Traore
25Nov01 - Dean Walling
11Nov01 - Warren Goodhind
03Nov01 - Richard Prokas
26Oct01  - Adam Tann
19Oct01  - Alex Revell
12Oct01  - Paul Wanless
26Sep01 - Tom Youngs
17Sep01 - Luke Guttridge

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