Chaplin: I Love Playing For This Football Club Sunday, 18th Feb 2024 09:41 by Kallum Brisset Conor Chaplin spoke of his pride at reaching 50 goals for Town during the Blues’ hard-fought 2-1 victory over Swansea City at the Swansea.com Stadium. The 27-year-old became the 24th player to reach a half century of goals for the club as his first-half strike proved decisive to earn the Blues a first-ever league double over the Swans. “I love playing for this football club,” Chaplin said. “It’s probably the most I’ve ever enjoyed being at a football club. I love everything about it – the town, the fans, the players that I’m playing with, the coaching staff. “It’s a place that I really feel at home. To score 50 goals is a really proud moment, but I want more and I always want more. It’s something that spurs me on to get even more now is just keep going, keep trying to make a difference for the team, keep trying to work hard and be a good teammate. “I don’t need to speak too much about the boss [Kieran McKenna]. I’ve said it plenty of times he’s the best manager I’ve worked under by a long stretch. He’s incredible, he’s improved me as a player and a person a lot so I can’t thank him enough. I owe a lot to him.” The performance in South Wales was a good one, despite the Blues needing to defend resolutely throughout much of the second half in extremely wet and difficult conditions. Chaplin said: “A really big win and an impressive performance, we needed to grind it out at times in really tough conditions on the pitch. The surface and the playing conditions were nice but it was a really soft pitch. “We had to give energy in the game and it wasn’t easy on a pitch like that, it felt like you were running in quicksand at times. But it was impressive from the whole squad, and that’s what we pride ourselves on. It was a really impressive squad win. “That’s what it’s going to be away from home in these conditions. I thought we showed that throughout the pitch – people putting their bodies on the line with tackles, people defending the box really well, forwards getting back well and connecting on the edge of the box or in wide areas stopping crosses. We really showed that throughout the whole team.”  Chaplin’s 10th goal of the season came in familiar fashion, with Leif Davis providing his 12th assist of the season with a trademark cutback for Town’s diminutive forward to fire home. “It’s always nice to hit little landmarks throughout the season and 10 goals is one that I’m happy with at this point in time,” Chaplin said. “I haven’t scored as many as I would like to have done recently, but patches like that are always going to happen. You can’t expect to score every couple of games, it’s not as easy as that especially in a division like this playing against the players that we are. “The numbers that Leif’s showing on a consistent basis is incredible, he’s a top player.”  Nathan Broadhead is a man beginning to find some form. Having gone eight games without a goal, the Wales international has now scored in each of his last three matches. Jerry Yates’s equaliser for the hosts came after Broadhead opened the scoring, when Omari Hutchinson poked him through on goal to delicately dink the ball over the oncoming Carl Rushworth. “He’s another really important big player for us,” Chaplin said of Town’s 11-goal top scorer this season. “Not just his goals and creating but his running for the team and selflessness. “He’s been incredible and is having such a strong season, which everyone expects from him as he’s such a good player. He’s such a lovely lad as well and I love him to bits. He’s been incredible and long may that continue because we need him.” The Blues’ victory sees them move back within three points of the top two, holding a game in hand on second-placed Leeds United and a point back from Southampton, both having also won over the weekend. Much has been spoken about Town’s situation in the promotion fight this season, but Chaplin explained how the squad and coaching staff are able to block it out and focus on their own performances. He said: “External noise is probably all it is, I don’t think it comes into our camp and nor should it because performances have been good. “We probably haven’t had the rub of the green at times that we feel like we deserve, so it’s pleasing to come away from two away games with six points. “It’s really pleasing for us and we look forward to Tuesday now, which will be another tough game at home [against Rotherham United].”
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