French Resistance

French Resistance

THE UNDERNOTED ARTICLE APPEARED IN THE SOUTH LONDON PRESS 20 FEB 2004

WILLY Gueret had not played a single competitive game for Millwall in two years until last week.

And he had only featured twice in the previous 12 months. So the FA Cup game at Telford was a big moment in his career.

But the Frenchman, who has the club record for the longest run of clean sheets, five, never lost faith in his own ability.

"I feel good to have been given a chance because I have waited a long time," he said.

"Having that vote of confidence is very welcome. Being on the pitch with the lads is much better than not – I feel good being a part of the team, which is doing well at the moment.

"Now I have the opportunity to play with the lads – but also to show my quality.

"I have always had a lot of confidence in my ability. I would never put myself down.

"And if I work hard and do the best I can, I believe I will do well."

Gueret has, during that time, had the chance to go out on loan, he revealed –but every time the issue came up, he was told he would have to stay put.

"I was under contract with Millwall so I had to do what I was told," he said.

"Now, though, I do not regret staying.

"It is always difficult to go away and then come back."

Gueret’s contract runs out in the summer. He has been offered a new deal, but is still in the process of talking to chairman Theo Paphitis about the details.

"I need to talk to the chairman about it again," he said.

"Tony Warner is out of contract as well, so it is a strange situation.

"I need to do what is best for me. I would certainly love to stay at Millwall. But if I have to go away to get what I need, I will do so. I cannot close my eyes to other possibilities."

Whatever happens, the end of the season is likely to see the break-up of a goalkeeping partnership which has served Millwall well for four years.

He and Warner have trained together since Gueret arrived in July 2000 from French club Le Mans.

But Warner has made almost 150 appearances in that time, compared to Gueret’s 17.

"Tony is a good keeper and we have a good professional relationship," said Gueret.

"We help each other out as much as we can. Half the time it is just him and me training together. It would not work if we did not get on well with each other."

Gueret put in a huge amount of extra time on the training ground last month, when Warner was on the verge of signing for Wolves – until a shoulder injury scuppered the possibility of a move.

It was the first time the former Liverpool stopper had missed a game through injury in more than three years – so Gueret had high hopes of a return to the first team.

Then Andy Marshall arrived, on loan from Ipswich.

"It was hard to understand," Gueret confesses.

"I would prefer to play and I was asked to stay out of the team. Then the manager said I would get a chance at Telford."

Gueret admitted to having had worried moments before that first match in two years.

"It was a big game for everyone, not just me," he said.

"I did not want to let anyone down. The burden was on my shoulders. And the manager asked me to be the one.

"I felt the pressure for the first 15 minutes. But I just concentrated on doing my best. And I kept a clean sheet."

Then, against Burnley, he saved the tie, with a superb stop from Ian Moore, who only had Gueret to beat.

"That sort of thing is easy to do in training," said the 29-year-old.

"You end up doing it 10 or 20 times every morning. But a match is very different. Different players, different pressure. But it is my job."

Things are looking up for Gueret, who has had to deal with set-backs all too recently.

"I had a bad time in November and December, because the nutritionist changed my diet, and it was tough training," he said.

"It was just at the time when there was a lot of speculation about Tony’s future.

"I wanted to be as sharp as possible and be ready in case my chance came. But now I am back on track."

He refuses to look too far into the future, though.

"I will just work hard week after week and see if I am picked," he said.

"Tony will be back soon, and then there will be an interesting dilemma for Dennis Wise. Having that option will certainly make the keepers in the squad work hard."

Why not check out the latest Vetch Verdict on the BBC site?