Chadwell Chatter

Hello everyone,

We are playing Everton on Saturday, Of course, growing up on Merseyside you are either a Red or a Blue or come from over the water and support Tranmere Rovers, where I started.

It would be nice to go back home and get the three points at Goodison Park, where I last played when I was 13 or 14 for Liverpool. I've never played there in a competitive first-team game, so I'm looking forward to going back.

I've got about 50 mates who I grew up with who are all Everton fans and they'll be in the stands giving me stick, I think! Hopefully I'll enjoy it and we'll bring the three points back. I was a Red growing up and it would be nice to go to Goodison Park and win there, obviously.

On Merseyside, there is only one sport and that is football. No-one plays rugby and people play golf now and then, but the main sport is football, so when Liverpool or Everton are playing it's a massive day for the whole of Merseyside.

For me, going back to Liverpool, there will be plenty of my family and mates in the stands at Everton and it's one I am looking forward to. I can't wait to get out there.

Things are going well for us at the minute. We are fourth in the table after eleven games and we are five unbeaten. Really, we should have won against Aston Villa two weeks ago but it was one of those things that we couldn't put the ball in the back of the net.

We'll be going to Everton looking to get all three points. Of course we will respect them, but we will be going out there to win.

Everton are a great team and I can't see them being in the bottom half of the table come the under of the season. Roberto Martinez has done a good job there and we're aware of the threats they have got, but we will go there full of confidence.

Leighton Baines is my opposite number at Everton and, like me, he is from Liverpool. He is a fantastic player with a great left foot. He has been around for quite a while now and has played for England numerous times.

There are a few left-backs around at the minute with Luke Shaw behind Baines and also Kieran Gibbs. England have got quite a few options at the moment, so I'll take this season as it comes.

If you look at Leighton, I think you would put him in the top four or five left-backs in the world. I couldn't name five better than him over the last five years.

He started at Wigan Athletic and it shows that there is no reason why a player cannot start in the lower leagues and prove their worth in the Premier League and go on to represent England. That is something Leighton has done and he has been fantastic ever since.

Personally, coming from the Championship I had never played any higher than that level and I knew it was going to fast, it was going to be tough and everything was going to be at a quicker tempo. As I have said from day one, I will take every game as it comes and see how many I can play.

On a personal note, I am enjoying it at the minute, but the main thing is the team and picking up as many points as we can and seeing where that leaves us at the end of the season.

Safe trip to everyone heading to Goodison Park this Saturday.

Come on you Irons!

Cressy