Haining speaks out

Last updated : 11 October 2006 By Dave Moore
Will Haining has spoken out about his future at Boundary Park. The Latics captain believes that he is playing for his future at the club as he will be out of contract at the end of this season. A popular figure in the team, he's taking nothing for granted and admits that the possibility of a new contract is spurring him on. In his five years at the clubs, 24 year old Haining is fast approaching 150 first team appearances.

Haining said, “Just because I'm captaining the side and I've been here for a long time, it doesn't mean I'll get a new contract. This is a massive year for me personally, so I've got to play as much as possible and show I'm worth keeping at the club. Last season was a nightmare with injuries but, touch wood, things are going okay at the moment for myself and the team. I need to make sure I'm on the pitch every week because I've got bills to pay just like everybody else and I want to secure my future. Obviously my focus is on helping us to win games, but it's always in the back of your mind when your contract is coming to an end. Oldham is a place I like and I want to stay here for a lot longer. I've been here since I was 16, so you could say I'm part of the furniture.”

“I think we've got a realistic chance of going up because I've seen nothing in this division to frighten us. We've played nearly all the top sides, matched every one of them and taken points off most, so why not? We are looking quite strong at the back, and the main reason is that we've kept the same players in defence for most of our games. This back four had never played together until a few weeks ago, but it really helps when you get to know each other well.”

“Simon Charlton has made a big difference because he's the first proper left-back we've had for a couple of seasons. You can see why he has played at the highest level and it's great to have someone alongside you who knows the game inside out. Obviously Simon has all the experience and Neal (Eardley) is very young, but Neal is doing absolutely fantastic when you think he's just a kid. Usually they play well for three or four games and then their form starts to dip, but Neal seems to carry on getting better. He is being mentioned with big clubs, which is always nice, but he's sensible enough to realise the benefits will eventually come if he keeps his head down and works. It's a long time since our back four was so settled, and hopefully a good run of clean sheets will keep us moving up the table.”