Simpson - It was brilliant

The 20-year-old, who has been with the club for eight years, made his first team debut against Middlesbrough last night, scoring one and winning a penalty for another in what was a dream start to life in the senior squad.  

After the game, Simpson spoke to afcbTV about the performance and what it means to play such a big part in the club’s cup progression.  

“Overall, I was pleased with my performance,” Simpson began.

“I’m a bit disappointed with the goal we conceded because we could have organised a bit better, but generally it’s been brilliant and I’m over the moon with how it’s gone.

“With the goal, I struggled to get there to be fair. The defender was grabbing me the whole time, but luckily I managed to make contact.

“Then for the penalty, the guy was grappling me the whole time. I was almost there and couldn’t quite get to the ball so I couldn’t stay on my feet any more.

“I thought I did well. You train with the first team so you can get used to the physicality, but it’s not the same as a game.

“We got the win most importantly and are into the next round.”

Following the game, Simpson also spoke about his progression from a midfielder to a defender and how that’s enabled him to get more playing time.

“I was a centre midfielder and then a few injuries stunted my playing time and training,” he continued.

“Someone suggested I should maybe try centre half and then the last couple of years I’ve been working hard with the gaffer, Jason Tindall, Stephen Purches and Carl Fletcher trying to get my game as good as I can so that I can make the step up and play in the first team.

“Therefore, it’s always been a big part of my game to play out from the back, as I’m comfortable on the ball and I wanted to try and show that against Middlesbrough.

“It was good to have Cookie [Steve Cook] talking to me during the game and Charlie [Daniels] before the match. They just told me to relax and play my game.”