By Chris Todd Torquay United defender

I will miss Salisbury after I leave them next week. They've been brilliant and everyone's been really supportive. The fans have been great and I have to thank them for that

We've kept two clean sheets in a row and I'm feeling fit, sharp and ready to go back into the Torquay squad.

I've got one more game left of my loan deal, against Wrexham on Saturday, and it'll be a bit of a family affair.

Their manager, Dean Saunders, is my dad's cousin, so it'll be nice to go up against his team.

Dean's a top man and a great coach and it's going to be a tough game on Saturday and a good challenge. Being a Welshman it'll be nice to go up against another Welsh side.

I will miss Salisbury after I leave them next week. They've been brilliant and everyone's been really supportive. The fans have been great and I have to thank them for that. The management and the players have also been brilliant to me as well.

As a defence we've played well and in years to come there's no reason why they can't be challenging towards the top of the league.

But off the pitch it's been sad to hear about the problems at Weymouth.

I've been involved with two teams that have had financial troubles during my career, Exeter City and Swansea City.

It's not a nice feeling not knowing when you're going to get paid. It's a difficult time and I can understand from the players point of view how it feels not the be able to pay the mortgage and look after your family, especially with the credit crunch.

Most Conference players get a wage that looks after their mortgages and expenditure for the month, but after that they probably don't get a lot to play with, so not getting paid anything would be really tough.

And the fans must feel it as well. As fans you want your first team to play week-in week-out, and when they're not playing due to money it must be even harder. Some must think why they are not just not playing for the club, but it is a job as well as a hobby.

Torquay face Forest Green tonight, the last game played for Torquay before I was injured and then got diagnosed with leukaemia. It seems like a million miles away, but we had a good result that night and we definitely need one tonight.

Finally, it's also my mum's birthday today, so happy birthday to her and well done to my brother James who won his second fight as a professional boxer in Merthyr Tydfil on Saturday!

Chris Todd was talking to BBC South West's Brent Pilnick.

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version