David Chick

Having endured two months on the sidelines through injury and suspension, David Chick marked his return to the side with the equalising goal against Crawley three weeks ago.

It was only his third appearance for United and he impressed in an unfamiliar midfield role, but injury struck again in training last week and he missed the win at Morecambe with a dead leg.

Back in training this Thursday, the 20-year-old is clearly raring to go and hoping for the chance of an uninterrupted run in the team.

"I trained as much as possible when I was suspended so I was ready to come back in the side when I was available again," he confirms, "and now I want to get as fit as possible and stay in the side.

"Greg (Reid, physio) is very professional and he works you very hard and gets you back as soon as possible. The other players might get a day off but if you're injured you're working with Greg every day, but it's important to do that to keep your fitness up.

"There's no point going back into training if you're not fit and ready, you're no good to anyone in that condition, so Greg does a great job in making sure that you are."

Born and raised in Norwich, David had a brief spell with Cambridge United and Ipswich Town as a schoolboy but when the chance came to join his hometown club it was too good to resist. On their books from the age of ten, he represented England at schoolboy level after being invited for England trials at Lilleshall.

'Chicky' played alongside the likes of Wayne Rooney in that squad and took part in the Victory Shield Tournament, earning a cap against Northern Ireland.

He spent three years at Carrow Road as a scholar, with mixed fortunes: "I was Player of the Year in my first year but in my second year I had a stress fracture in my leg and then a haematoma so I spent most of my second year injured, then in my third year I was released when they got promoted to the Premiership."

After being released, he had trials at Boston, Lincoln, Cheltenham, Kidderminster, but suffered a stress fracture in his foot while at Lincoln at the end of that season. Effectively sidelined until Christmas last year, he finished the season by playing a handful of games for King's Lynn until the end of last season and started this season among Rob Newman's initial group of trialists.

"I was here from the first day and played in most of the pre-season games," he recalls. "It must have been hard for Rob and 'Spearo' (Tony Spearing) because we had a lot of new people coming in and not many left from the previous season, so for them to pick from players they barely knew and had only known for a short time must have been very hard."

David played in the first two games of the season before injury and then suspension ruled him out, and he looks back on the games with mixed feelings.

"It was great to start the season in the first team but I was disappointed with the first game because we felt we could have beaten them and we should have done. We didn't perform as well as we would have liked on the day but then against Hereford we turned it around.

"We played very well and battled against a good side and got a good win, but then I was out injured and suspended and it felt like ages. I missed so many games and couldn't play so it was very frustrating, but I'm very glad to be back now."

Returning to the side for the match against Crawley, Chicky reveals that the goal came about through the urgings of Rob Newman.

"To get my first goal was really good, especially after being out for so long, and I'm glad I got the opportunity to play and that we won as well.

"Rob kept telling me to get round the back of the defenders and into the box and I tried it a few times but I wasn't so sure, and he kept saying "get round the back, you'll score" and he was right. I got round the back and it was a good ball from Ritchie (Hanlon) and I managed to put it in the net."

He also discloses that although left-back is his usual position, central midfield was not a completely alien role to him: "I started out as a young kid at centre-half but I was never going to be tall enough so since then I've played left-back for most of my career, but I've played in the centre of midfield a few times too."

Looking ahead to today's game, and hoping to be selected, David hopes the team can extend the current run of good form that has lifted the U's into the top half of the table.

"I think on form we're one of the better sides in the league at the moment and we've climbed up the league quite consistently so I don't see why we can't keep doing that.

"I think we were always going to struggle at the start of the season because there were so many new faces and we were getting to know each other as a team, which takes time, but we've got a good squad and we got a very good result at the weekend away to Morecambe, so hopefully things are starting to gel together.

"That's a good feeling because we were under pressure when we were down near the bottom, but we knew we were better than the results were showing. It was frustrating but we've worked hard - from Rob and Spearo down - and we've shown we're capable of challenging any team in this league."

Away from football he likes to relax by catching up with friends in Norwich, spending time with his girlfriend and playing snooker or the new Football Manager game on the computer, and although he has to travel from Norwich for training and matches, David shares the journey with striker Paul Atkins; "We have a good laugh and play CDs so the journey goes fairly quickly," he adds.

David is on a short-term deal at the moment and hopes to force his way into the team on a regular basis and earn a longer contract.

"Obviously I've missed a lot of games so I hope I can stay fit now for the rest of the season and play as many games as possible. I think we can push for the play-offs and hopefully I can earn myself a contract too.

"I'm fortunate that can I play in a few positions, so that always helps, and we don't have a massive squad so the more players that can play in more than one place, the better.

"I think if we carry on playing well and we don't get too many injuries, then I think we definitely have a chance of challenging for at least the play-offs," he concludes.

"That's what we have to hope and aim for, and if we don't make it - because we had a hard start to this season - then we're building towards next season. I think we have the right foundations and the right people here to get us back to where this club belongs and I'm very happy to be here."

*This interview was first published in the programme for the match against Aldershot on 19th November, 2005.

Previous Featured Players:
08Dec05: Michael Morrison
29Nov05: Ritchie Hanlon
25Oct05: Stephen Smith
05Oct05: Fola Onibuje
29Sep05: Mark Peters

Last season's Featured Players:
15May05: Your Players of the Year 2004/05
10May05: Tes Bramble
05May05: Tom Newey
30Apr05: Adam Tann
23Apr05: Iwan Roberts
10Apr05: Stuart Bimson
17Mar05: Matt Somner
09Mar05: Daniel Chillingworth
24Feb05: Dan Gleeson
17Feb05: Shane Tudor
14Feb05: Richard Hodgson
07Feb05: Warren Goodhind
22Dec04: Darren Quinton
06Dec04: Andy Duncan
24Nov04: John Ruddy
22Oct04: Kingsley Mbome
13Oct04: Jermaine Easter
17Sep04: Justin Walker
09Sep04: John Turner
26Aug04: Luke Guttridge

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