Neil, would you say the 2010/11 campaign was a season of progress for you?
Yes, of course! I think every year I’ve taken a step forward and this year was another step forward for me. Signing a two-year contract for me is a massive step in my career, so hopefully next year I can start to progress even more and we'll see what the future holds for me.
It must have been pleasing to be rewarded with a new contract after coming through the ranks from the Academy to the First Team squad?
Yes it was a great feeling. I think it reflected on how well I performed last season. Being more involved in the First Team did mean less reserve games for me, but the reserve games I did play in I coped with well and handled myself to the best of my ability.
How did you deal with moving up to the First Team, what was the adaptation like for you?
You have to adapt really quickly to be honest because the other guys aren’t going to hang around for you. They’ve got a job to do themselves so you’ve got to fit into the environment very quickly.
It did take time, I have to admit, but now I’m settled in and I’m hopeful that I can hit the ground running from the start of pre-season next year. Mark Schwarzer and Pascal Zuberbuhler have been unbelievable; they’ve been there, done it all and even Mark playing at his age is a great thing to aspire to really.
As the Philippines number one keeper you’ve played in front of huge crowds during recent international matches.
Not many players can say that to be honest. I don’t think any player at this club – maybe Mark Schwarzer or Eidur Gudjohnsen – have come close to playing in front of that many people. For me it was a great experience and I’d like to keep my international caps rolling. I've reached over 20 caps now and the Philippines is becoming a much stronger country in football and the stronger we can become as a country the more people will start to take notice of us.
What’s the scene with Philippine football like, is it fairly developed?
Two years ago there wasn’t much on the scene back home, but now I can safely say that they’re starting to bring Leagues into it. It's going to take time, like anything. The States did it and so did Australia and they’re now big leaders in football; they never used to be.
The Philippines has taken its time, we’ve got a lot of foreign based players which at the moment is the best thing for us, but in the future we hope to have some home grown players who can compete with the likes of the European based players.
I think we are 149th in the world and today world rankings do mean a lot, but then again it doesn’t mean too much. I’ve got world cup qualifiers in the off season; it’s Sri Lanka which we are quite confident about and if we beat them we’ve got Kuwait which won’t be an easy target: they beat Australia and then they did very well in the Asian Cup so we can only do our best with what is given to us.
How have you dealt with all of the travelling?
You get used to it to be honest. Obviously, I got my first international cap when I was 18 and it took me time to adapt, but I’ve got no complaints because Mark has to go a little bit further than me. I try to sleep as much as I can on the plane and the guys in the first team give you a bit of time to adapt, but you’ve got to get on with it really.
What are your aims and ambitions for next season?
I’m still going to be 3rd choice keeper but I’ll be pushing the other two as much as I can and I think the Club would be annoyed if I wasn’t. I will keep my head down, I will keep working hard and I will grab any opportunity with both hands as soon as it comes to me.
The Europa League handed David Stockdale some valuable First Team experience the season before last. Have you cast your eye towards making a mark in UEFA Europa League next season?
It's totally out of my hands! I can perform as much as I can out on the pitch, but it will all be determined on what the Manager thinks and what he thinks is right, so I’ll be keeping my head down and working hard.Source
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