Northampton Town: Weale so glad to be back in the thick of it
CHRIS WEALE admits he had forgotten just how physical league two football can be.
The on-loan Leicester City stopper made his return to the level in which he played the bulk of his career with Yeovil Town on Saturday.
And although his playing comeback did not go as he would have hoped, with his new club going down 2-1 to Barnet, Weale was so pleased to be back he went as far as saying he enjoyed the game.
“I’ve got a three-week old baby and I live in Leicester so this move was ideal for me,” he said. “I went to see the manager at Leicester and told him I wanted to play football and this is a great opportunity for me.
“Playing in league two is a lot different to playing in the championship, I realised that again very quickly on Saturday.
“The physical element and the directness of the football meant you have to play very differently but it was very enjoyable.
“Even though we lost, I enjoyed the game and I think there are lots of positives we can take from it.”
Weale has been used almost exclusively as a Carling Cup goalkeeper for the Foxes this season, finding his path to the gloves blocked by Kasper Schmeichel.
The nature of the position is such that chances in the first team are very often few and far between, meaning the 90 minutes Weale got at the weekend represented a new lease of life for the player.
“I was speaking to (Aleksandar) Tunchev, who hasn’t played for about two years because he’s been injured and he said when you’re out there you think ‘wow, I am a footballer, I don’t just turn up to train, I play as well.’
“Maybe I’m not as sharp as I should be because I haven’t played matches this season but I don’t feel too bad.
“As a striker you can come on for 15 or 20 minutes and get a bit of sharpness there but if the goalkeeper in front of you is playing well you haven’t got a chance.”
Now that he is playing again, Weale wants to help the Cobblers improve on their rock-bottom position in the Football League.
It is a placing that has caused concern to everyone at Sixfields from manager Aidy Boothroyd to the tea lady, but Weale is confident there is enough time to put things right.
“There are 19 games to go and there is still a long way to go and a lot of football to be played,” he said.
“The table doesn’t look too good at the moment but you’ve got to look at the table in April, when it really matters.
“Okay, we’re rock bottom and if we can start building some momentum then we’ll start pulling away from the bottom of the table.”
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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