Joe Bennett and Gary Gardner
Image by: Paul Hazlewood
PUBLISHED
19:00 11th September 2014
by Mollie Bennett
There is class in the team and that is why I’m so confident they will be up there fighting for promotion."
Joe Bennett
Joe Bennett
Gary Gardner and Joe Bennett took part in the official Albion podcast this week to talk about their time at Brighton & Hove Albion so far.The two Aston Villa loanees sat down to face a Q&A session during the international break and spoke of their first impressions of life on the south coast.
Midfielder Gardner admitted that Bennett played a part in his decision to sign, having penned a deal with the club just days earlier.
He said, “I phoned Joe to ask what Brighton is like and he was buzzing off it. He said the facilities are really good, it’s a great club and that’s what pushed me here.
“The lads here are fantastic, they’ve made us feel very welcome. I come in [for training] and it feels like I’ve been here for a while, even though it's only been a couple of weeks.”
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Although Gardner has been out on loan from Villa before [at Sheffield Wednesday], this is Bennett’s first experience of senior football away from the Premier League side.“It’s like your first day at school, you just get thrown in," the full-back adds. "Everyone’s been really friendly and all the lads have been fantastic.
“You have a little bit of worry about going on loan but I was looking forward to it. It’s worked out well; the team’s playing well and I think we have got a really good chance of getting promoted this season.
“When I first came in I didn’t know how Albion played but before my first game Sami [Hyypia] pulled me into his office and said I just want you to get forward.”
Both players have tasted top-flight football with Villa and they insist there are similarities to be found at the Albion.
“It’s similar to the Prem set-up. The training here is exactly the same. Sami Hyypia has been in the Prem and done it, so it’s good to have that,” Bennett added. “The facilities here are built for a Premier League team and in the future it’s going to be a massive club.
“The club is on the up and a step ahead of everything. There is class in the team and that is why I’m so confident they will be up there fighting for promotion.
“I hope that is what happens but for the time being I’ll give 100 per cent until January and see what happens,” Gardner said.
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Original article