THERE have been countless players over the years who have been great in dressing rooms. It’s normally the great personalities and characters, who can be quite different on and off the pitch.

Often the funny players like Jim Magilton and Iain Dowie were great to be around. Most of the goalkeepers often seemed quite wacky such as John Burridge. Those different personalities could be quiet on the pitch but more lively in the dressing room environment.

I was probably in the category of being quiet off the pitch but was more vocal once I stepped out into the game. It’s about having that melting pot of individuals to create a team and making the most of everyone’s qualities.

That was a massive help in those dire situations we found ourselves in at times. The camaraderie of the squad in those years and having a great bond with everybody was important.

I truly believe everyone who was working at the club, the staff, coaching teams, and supporters enabled us to survive when we were written off by many others. Matt (Le Tissier) was clearly the gem in the crown.

He was the player who could produce something out of nothing and he relished the responsibility of producing something when it mattered. That coupled with the ability of the players and the mindset that we would not be beaten or not go down in the years where we were fighting relegation was a huge thing.

Credit to the players that were there at the time because they all made it happen. I feel very privileged to have been a part of it. I felt the pressure at the time and I still feel the same way looking back on it now. I relished the challenge.

We didn’t want to be in the position we were in but I relished the opportunity of having a chance of delivering what we needed to do.

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It’s like being a passenger in a car, quite often people prefer to be the driver and I felt so much happier and more comfortable that I had the opportunity to be in the team and actually have a say in the outcome by playing.

It was a massive thing for me. I would have been much worse sat on the touchline either as a substitute or as a supporter. I get that feeling now being a supporter, I’d much rather be out on the pitch knowing I could have an input into the outcome.

Russell Martin has alluded to the importance of the whole squad in the push for promotion back to the Premier League. Those players who have not played regularly have had a part to play.

Whether that’s coming on off the bench, being supportive in the dressing room, or in the training ground. That was just as big as the 11 players that were being picked to start a game.

I also want to take this chance to acknowledge the Saints Women's side who won 5-0 against Reading last weekend. It was an incredibly timely victory, especially in the manner that they did putting in such a dominant performance.

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That will be the perfect tonic for the remaining games. Saints sit just one point off the top of the table in a remarkably close Women's Championship promotion race which could see one of five teams gain entry to the Women's Super League.

Now, it’s about delivering and having the right mindset. It would be the most incredible season if our men’s and women’s teams both got promoted to the top levels of the game. We are poised nicely for it on both fronts.

I hope everyone believes that we can do it and we give them the support we can to help them achieve that. It would be brilliant for both the women and the men.

Earlier in the week, I was up at Celtic Manor in Wales for an overnight break with my wife. So I had a little bit of downtime and it was good to make the most of the international break.

On Saturday evening, I’m going to be going up to Wembley to watch the England vs Brazil game with my wife and daughter Kenzie, who is working on the game, so we decided to accompany her to support.

I haven’t seen England play live for a very long time so it will be nice, especially at Wembley.