AFC Bournemouth
It’s been an enjoyable few days for AFC Bournemouth full-back, Ryan Fredericks.
He made his first start for the Cherries during Saturday’s superb 2-1 comeback victory against Leicester City and today celebrates his 30th birthday.
Having joined the club on a free transfer in the summer, injury meant that Fredericks had to wait until the fifth game of the season for his debut off the bench, helping see out a goalless draw against Wolves at Vitality Stadium.
An inspired half-time substitution three days later at the City Ground then saw the former England youth international play his part in turning round a two-goal deficit against Nottingham Forest as the side recorded a crucial three points on the road.
Yet a spell on the sidelines followed again, meaning Fredericks’ first start for the club came nine games in against the Foxes, the result making it very much worth the wait.
Following the victory, he spoke to the media about the ups and downs of the past few months and how he’s relishing being part of such a competitive squad.
“First and foremost, we got the three points so that's all that matters,” said Fredericks.
“It's a tough one being out for the past three months on and off, but I felt alright out there.
"I've got work to do to catch up with the lads, but three points is all I can for ask on my full debut."
The Cherries find themselves starting the week eighth in the Premier League table, with a respectable 12 points from their opening nine fixtures.
Fredericks believes that the start his side have made to the new season bodes well for the campaign to come, as the squad continue to build momentum with each game that passes.
“We're a confident bunch. Other people might have written us off at the start of the season, but there's no talk of that in the dressing room.
“We're looking to get to 40 points as quickly as possible and then kick-on from there.
“We're confident to go and beat anyone. I think every team we've played this season, probably bar the best three teams in the league, we've had chances to beat them all.
“Saturday was another good victory and it shows that we're not just here to make up the numbers. We want teams to know that we're not going to be easy to play and we want to win every game we're involved in.
“People write you off, but we're a good team with good players. We showed that against Leicester, who have been one of the better teams in the league over the past few seasons and I think we pretty much dominated after the 90 minutes.”
With the side now five games unbeaten, after two wins and three draws since the end of August, Fredericks admitted how much he’s enjoying playing under Gary O’Neil, who has been in interim charge for the past six weeks.
“We're unbeaten since Gary has been in charge,” continued Fredericks.
“He sets us up differently for every game and every game it just seems to fall into place. Everything he's saying to us in meetings and in training is exactly what's happening in the matches, so that gives us confidence.
“Everyone treats him with respect, he treats the lads with respect and he's a good man-manager as well as a good coach.
“He's in-depth with what he says and he's not just giving us information for no reason. Everything he says carries a lot of weight – we believe what he's telling us and we trust it, and we're trying to put it into place on the pitch.”
