Promotion is priority for Spencer

Spencer Prior
By CCFCSleepingGiant.com
August 7 2002

Spencer Prior's number one priority this season is gaining promotion - even if it means spending the entire campaign on the bench. The strong defender is suspended for the first two games of the season.

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Prior knows that his absence will give Young and Gabbidon a chance to establish themselves in the starting line-up, leaving him on the bench.

But Prior, speaking to the Western Mail, said, "I hope Scott and Gabbs keep two clean sheets and we win both games two or three nil. If I have to sit on the bench then so be it. The priority is the team. It's not about me. I'm just a small piece at this club.

"Every player here wants to start, but we also have to put the team first."

Prior was sent off during our final game of the season against Stoke. Out of frustration shortly after the Potters scored their winning goal, the 23-year old called the referee a cheat and was immediately dismissed.

"Scott and Gabbs will start against Oldham and it's going to be difficult to knock them off," he said.

"But I don't see them as rivals because we're all part of the same thing at Cardiff. I might end up sitting on the bench for the whole season. But I wouldn't mind if that means Cardiff are successful and we win promotion. I just want to be part of something successful here. That's why I came to this club."

City are the biggest spenders outside of the Premiership, but Prior has reminded the fans that we still do not have a divine right to go up.

"People have got to realise there are 23 other teams in this division and they will all be wanting to beat Cardiff City," continued Prior. "If you go to the bookies you can hardly get a bet on Cardiff winning promotion and that worries me. Everyone has got to be realistic.

"The players have to work hard. We mustn't think, `We're Cardiff so we're going to win.' And the supporters have got to realise that it's not going to happen just because Sam has spent a few quid. We've got a very strong squad but we don't have a divine right to walk away with this league. We're going to have bad days but we've just got make sure we have a lot more good days."

Prior started life as a Bluebird with a few shaky performances and some fans questioned his ability. But at the end of the campaign he had improved and he was attracting interest from other Division Two clubs such as Wigan.

Spencer concluded: "Towards the end of last season I was playing the way I hoped to play at the start. I've got a wife and two young daughters and it took us a while to get settled. I'm the sort of person who is affected by life at home. If my home life is great then everything else is great."

Prior is certainly a player that I admire. He took a huge pay-cut to join Cardiff because he saw the potential rather than our league position. Now he is saying that he would be willing to spend the whole season watching from the sidelines if that could ensure success.

Not all City fans are big Prior lovers - infact, some supporters think that he a liability. But look how he was playing at the end of last season. He was strong, dependable, commanding and quick.