Franno is maturing all the time

It is not very often when Simon Francis (Franno) does not win man of the match these days. He has that confident striding gate that eats up the ground in record time on the right side that sticks him in all the fans' minds as the player that would run over hot coals for this team to give fellow team mates the opportunity to score. That he picks his way through the challenges and arrives at the byline always in good time is often a problem for the forwards who can struggle to keep up, but Francis' power and endless energy are marking him out as an early contender for AFCB's star player yet again.

Francis does his repetitions before the Wigan match.

I would not be surprised if Adam Smith asks to see if he can get more practise at playing in positions higher up the field than right back, because Simon Francis is in no mood for anyone to deputise for him at the moment. He quickens play with his bounding runs on AFCB's right side that see other players like Matt Ritchie and Andrew Surman able to hold back behind him in space knowing that Francis will get a pass off in the final third where so many others would not be able to carry things through to that final pass. It is difficult to see a better wing back in the Championship and it is no wonder that Derby have been interested in Simon Francis.

On Tuesday night Francis will be aiming to do a similar strategic bombing raid on Derby's left back and hope to deliver some further punishment to opposition defences. Listening to Simon's interview he is always confident that AFCB can turn around their poor spells in games and having him on the pitch always gives the team a sense that a run from Francis could set up a chance. He is a player who leads by example and plays to his strengths by going directly at the opposition and the part he plays in this successful AFCB should not be underestimated as he is getting better all the time.