Blues manager Paul Cook says Janoi Donacien is probably the best one-v-one defender at the club.

Donacien spent the second half of last season on loan at Fleetwood with his Town career looking to be over, particularly so given the overhaul the squad was undergoing in the close season.

However, with the Blues having taken up the one-year option on his contract, the St Lucia-born right-back has made an impressive start to the season and is keeping Kane Vincent-Young out of the side. For many observers, the 27-year-old was the man of the match in Town’s first win of the season at Lincoln last week.

“Donacien has come back in, no different than anyone else, I think he probably could be our best one-v-one defender at the football club,” Cook said. “How important is that in the modern-day game? Huge, absolutely huge.

“For any lads who are out of the team, if everybody was like Donacien, football would be such an easy and good place.

“He’s an absolutely smashing young man, again one who wants the team to do well and it’s so important now because his chance has come, he’s taken it really well.

“And like we tell the players all the time, “It’s your shirt to give up. When we give you the shirt, we don’t want to take it off you’.

“And certainly the lads at Lincoln last week probably said ‘This is my shirt, now I want to keep it’, and that’s the disappointment about not being able to pick the same team tomorrow.”

Photo: TWTD

BLUEBEAT added 11:41 - Sep 24 Survivor!
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legoman added 11:51 - Sep 24 Fantastic story.
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legoman added 11:53 - Sep 24 As he is an across the back line capable one-on-one defender I wonder if he could fill the Morsy roll when he is playing for Egypt?
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SamWhiteUK added 12:15 - Sep 24 Always felt a little for JD. He got a lot of stick when I'd never thought he'd done that badly. There were also a lot of well-known posters on here saying he'd never fit PC's style. I'm glad he's doing well and long may it continue.
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rfretwell added 12:20 - Sep 24 Good compliment from the boss. Our best ever 1 v 1 defender - Big Al (Alan Hunter) time and time again stopped the best strikers in the game bearing down on our goal.
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Reality_2021 added 12:23 - Sep 24 Great to see. Playing 4-2-3-1 usually requires attacking full backs and this was our problem for a number of years previously. As someone has suggested, why not give him a go as a dm ball winner to see how he fairs. If no good, surely if he is the best 1v1, he should really be playing cb.
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runningout added 13:15 - Sep 24 Well done Donacien. Personally think Lincoln gave us too much respect.Games will get tougher and tougher.
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have_a_word_with_him added 23:31 - Sep 24 I think he's been excellent so far, I didn't see much of last season but have seen a bit of this and he is athletic and competent, a more than decent right-back for a promotion chasing team...
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Linkboy13 added 11:34 - Sep 25 Yes very pleased for him always thought he was half decent. Only problem he sometimes gets drawn into a more central position. This is probably a result of him being constantly being messed around and sometimes playing as a centre back. At Fleetwood he was outstanding when played as a full back.
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