Thursday 26 April 2012 16:33, UK
Wayne Brown believes he can play a key role at Bristol Rovers under Mark McGhee as he eyes a new deal.
The 23-year-old midfielder has endured a frustrating season having sat on the sidelines for six months due to a stress fracture of his right ankle but he's recently returned to the first-team fold and is eager to prove his potential. Brown's current deal expires at the end of the campaign and hasn't had long to impress McGhee, who was only appointed back in January. But he's confident the Rovers boss has been well informed by assistant manager Shaun North of his abilities while he feels his performances in training have not gone unnoticed. The Fulham Academy graduate, who moved to the Memorial Stadium from Craven Cottage back in 2010, said: "Ideally I'd have liked him to see me play a lot since he arrived but that's not how it's panned out. "He's seen me in training over the last six or seven weeks and the assistant manager has told him what sort of a player I am. I like to pass the ball and I work hard, which is the type of player he likes. So hopefully I'm ticking all the boxes for him. "But I'm just hoping to find out what's going on in the next couple of weeks. I'm hoping it will be good news because I really like it here." Brown puts the team's rise up into the safety of mid-table following a difficult first half of the season down to the methods and passing style introduced by McGhee. He said: "Our form has improved massively since he's arrived. He likes the boys working hard together and he wants us to pass the ball. The boys have really got together and are really enjoying playing the style that he wants us to. "If you can do that well in League Two then you'll get good results. I'm hoping he can fit into that mould because that's what I want to do and I'm really looking forward to playing more under him. "We've got a good solid base here, as shown by some of our recent results under him, but maybe he's got a few players in mind who he'll want to bring in to strengthen the squad. Hopefully he'll be able to do that because that will make us a stronger force to push for promotion next season." Having tasted life of being at a Premier League club earlier in his career, Brown is hungry to climb back up the divisions and is confident he can achieve that ambition with Rovers - especially if they are able to move into a proposed new stadium in the near future. He said: "When I joined Rovers we were in League One and ended up getting relegated, which was a bad time for us. But it's good for me to be part of a good footballing side as I like to keep the ball on the floor and pass. "Obviously, like any other player, I want to play as high as possible and if we can get promoted next year and continue to build then by the time we move into a new stadium, we'll be able to push for a place in the Championship."
