Dutch defender Fabian Wilnis says he wants to stay with Town when his contract ends in June. Wilnis was offered a free transfer last season after a fall-out with George Burley but is now back in the first team.

Despite no fee being on his head, only Bristol City showed any serious interest in him, and then only on a loan basis.

Wilnis, now 32, says he is keen to continue his stay with Town: "I definitely want to remain here, but it is not up to me.

"It will be for the manager to decide and all I can do is to play as well as I can to convince him I am worth keeping at the club."

Wilnis' disagreements with George Burley have been well-documented but he says things are very different under Joe Royle: "The new manager has really surprised me. He is so positive and I like it. It is a joy to play football again and I never felt the previous manager had that much confidence in me.

"How can I put it? I had a different spirit then. Look at what happened on the first day of the season. I thought I did well at Walsall but he took me off at half-time. Think what that did for my confidence."

January sees the fourth anniversary of Wilnis joining the club as a direct replacement for Mauricio Taricco who had been sold to Tottenham.

The Dutchman moved from De Graafschap for £200,000 after his former NAC Breda team-mate Romeo Zondervan had recommended him to Town.

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