'We owe Todd for his faith', says Lee

From the archive, first published Thursday 7th Dec 2006.

Lee Holmes reckons City owe it to Colin Todd to drag

themselves back up League One.

Tuesday's vital win at

basement boys Leyton Orient - the first for nearly ten weeks - has stopped the slide down the table and boosted confidence ahead of the next London trek to Millwall on Saturday.

It has been a dispiriting spell at Valley Parade because of the slump but Holmes believes Todd deserves credit for trying to sustain morale in the dressing room.

The winger insists now is the time for the players to repay that faith by stringing a decent run together.

Holmes said: "It has been

difficult for everyone. We had a really bad month when nothing went right and

suddenly found ourselves dropping down the league.

"It's hard to keep your chin up when that happens but the gaffer's done a really good job with that.

"He has kept the lads together and made sure that we stay positive and go into every game feeling we can win.

"Now hopefully, after beating Orient, the lads can start

performing again and show a little bit back for him."

Holmes,

pictured, was a frustrated spectator at the Matchroom Stadium after his right ankle flared up again in a tackle with Dean Windass on the training ground.

The on-loan winger admits he could be struggling to be right for City's first game at the New Den and said: "I'm gutted to be injured again.

"I thought I'd just got fit at the right time with a lot of games coming up but

unfortunately it's not to be. I'd love to say I'll be all right for the weekend but I don't know.

"It's the same kind of injury I did last time and I thought that was going to be a quick job but it turned out being a few weeks.

"I'm trying to stay positive and gave it 24 hours before the Orient game. I went down hoping the fitness test would be fine but that wasn't the case.

"It's difficult to handle being out again but the main thing is that the lads can produce another performance. Players don't change overnight. Our form for the first 15 games was unbelievable but

confidence plays a big part when you start losing. Playing Millwall last week, you could see that they are beatable - and having picked up that win now at Orient, we're looking to Saturday and fancying ourselves again. If we can do that, you're suddenly six points better off and the table will be looking very different." David Wetherall is more hopeful of facing the Lions, although his left eye was almost closed yesterday. The skipper, who has played in every league game, is confident the swelling will go down in time.