Ben's Banter: Burton Albion's Russell Penn

English Football League / Ben Herd / 10 March 2010 / Leave a Comment

Russell Penn has had a successful first season in League 2

"We have achieved safety with 12 games to go so we are now playing without pressure which is allowing us to express ourselves."

After a frustrating afternoon at the Recreation Ground , Aldershot right-back Ben Herd chatted to Burton's Russell Penn about a successful first season in League Two.

After a couple of decent results we lost 0-2 at home to Burton Albion, who have now done the league double over us, having beaten us 6-1 back in December.

It was a bad game from start to finish as we got bullied all over the park and the gaffer even had us in on Sunday at 9am for a video nasty! On the plus side, other results were as kind as they could have been for us and we are still poised to challenge for the play-off places. My opposing player for this week's chat is Burton 's record transfer signing, Russell Penn. Russell has played very well on the both occasions we have played Burton this season and has taken very well to League 2 in his first season in the league. Here's what he had to say:

So Russell, what did you make of the game?

It was a solid decent away performance from us. We seemed to want it more, by having more desire and work-rate than Aldershot . We started off very brightly and didn't let Aldershot settle which made it a more enjoyable afternoon. We had so many corners in the first half which usually isn't great as we have only scored one goal from set plays all season, but on this occasion it was good because the gaffer had us practising corners for ages on the Friday before the game. We were doing set plays with NFL precision which paid off as we scored both our goals from corners.

How would you say the season has gone, for Burton and yourself personall?

As a club I would say that things couldn't have gone any better. When I signed in the summer the Chairman said that he would be happy if we finished 22nd, thus staying in the league. We have taken to League 2 very well with not too many changes from the team that won the Conference. We have achieved safety with 12 games to go so we are now playing with no burden of pressure which is allowing us to express ourselves. The manager and his coaching staff must take a lot of the credit as they have always been positive throughout the season.

I arrived at the club in the summer and initially found myself playing in an unfamiliar wide right position. Since the manager started to play me in my more accustomed central midfield role I have played every game, so it has been a positive first season.

You are Burton 's record transfer signing so was there any added pressure on your shoulders when you first arrived at "The Pirelli Stadium"?

Not really, I think they paid about £30k for me so it was hardly a multimillion pound deal! I had been at Kidderminster Harriers for a while and had played my entire career in the Conference so to have the chance to play at a higher level was an opportunity that I couldn't turn down. The move to Burton just felt like a fresh start for me, Burton being newly promoted to League 2, new team-mates, new manager, just everything about the place was fresh but, because it was quite local, I didn't have to move house. I have to say that I was honoured that Paul Peschisolido decided to make me the first signing that he actually spent money on.

How have you adapted to the rigours of League 2 and how does it compare to the Conference?

I believe that I have adapted pretty well to League 2. There are lots of players who have played at higher levels currently playing in League 2 so it's a good league to test yourself in. The teams in this league seem to be fitter than those in the Conference and have more consistency about them because pretty much anyone can beat anyone on any given Saturday. In the Conference you have the top eight teams or so and then there really is a much of a muchness amongst the remaining clubs.

What ambitions do you have for the next few seasons?

To be honest, I want to keep my place in the side and continue to play week in week out and stay clear of injury. Football is a funny game and you shouldn't and can't predict what will happen so we will just see where it takes me.

Football

Favourite Premier League Player? Steven Gerrard
Favourite player outside the Premier League? Xavi
Manager you'd most like to work under? Sir Alex Ferguson
Club you'd most like to play for? Man Utd

Best mate in Football? Gav Hurren
Messiest eater? Aaron Webster
Biggest ladies man? Ryan Austin
Worse Dressed team-mate? Paul Boertien

Non-football

Dream date? Britney Spears
Favourite TV programme? Prison Break
Favourite shop? Diffusion
Worst vice? Picking my nose!
Biggest pet hate? Bin men not picking up the rubbish!

50/50

Chinese or Curry? Curry
Pepsi or Coke? Coke
BMW or Audi? Audi
Pro Evo or Fifa? Pro Evo
Michael Buble or Akon? Akon