THE big news this week is the contract extension for our manager Justin Edinburgh and I couldn’t be happier.

It’s great news for the club and I know all the players will feel the same. Since the gaffer’s been here it’s been nothing but positive times.

There’s been a lot of people who tried to get this club back in the League over the years but the gaffer seems to have found the right recipe for success.

He’s done a great job of moulding the players he’s brought in and the ones who were already here together.

And the new contract will allow him to put his stamp on the whole club now – from the youth team up – over a number of years.

He takes great pride in his work and he wants to take the club on even further than he has already, which is great news.

The two years he’s been here have been incredible for the club – saving us from relegation, two Wembley trips and promotion to the Football League.

I’m really enjoying playing for him and hopefully he stays for years to come.

He’s great with the players. He’s hard when he’s got to be hard and he puts an arm round you when he thinks that’s the right thing to do.

He’s one of the best man-managers I’ve worked with and someone I have learned a lot from as I look to go into coaching in the years ahead.

You only have to look at the Paulo Di Canio situation at Sunderland to see how important the relationship between the manager and the players is these days.

Some players have a problem with discipline, and it’s the same in society as well. If you’re jumping down people’s throats all the time then they’re not going to respond.

That is where the gaffer has got the right balance. He’s created a fantastic team spirit at this club and you’ve seen the results on the pitch.

We had a good win last week to build on the three points at Exeter and set us up nicely for the three away games this week.

We’ve learned from our mistakes and we’re getting stronger and I think with the players we’ve got and the players still to come back from injury we’ve got the squad to really do well this season.

One of the most talented players in the squad is Robbie Willmott but he can be a bit of a nightmare sometimes!

A lot of people have been asking about our bust-up on the pitch against Torquay last week and the truth is it was all over in a flash.

Not many people in my own team make me lose my rag but Robbie is Robbie! It’s just the way he is and I’m glad he has that in him because it makes him the player he is.

I love him to bits and we get on well most of the time but he was just being a bit cheeky to me last week and I just gave him a little reminder to button it.

When we got in the changing rooms it was forgotten about but maybe he’ll learn to respect his elders from now on!

It is one of those things that happens at every club and it really is just part and parcel of football.

Me and Pipey argue a lot. He’s the captain so he shouts a lot at the lads but that is football and it is soon forgotten about.

We all get on well as a group and we had a great day at Llanwern Golf Club on Wednesday for the club’s golf day.

There are some good players here like Tom Naylor, Adam Chapman and Danny Crow, who won it in the end.

Lee Minshull, who is back from his ban at Bury today, was one of the bandits! I’m sure he’s got a whole in his pocket where he drops a spare ball every now and again!

It was pretty competitive and hopefully we’ll take that spirit on to the pitch at Gigg Lane today.