Leyton Orient fans loved Alex Mitchell’s ‘head it, kick it’ mantra.
And St Johnstone’s new loan signing has pledged to bring that attitude to his work in Scotland.
The promising Millwall centre-back was a regular in League Two last season.
He believes there’s more to his game than keeping the ball away from his team’s goal but making sure the fundamentals of defending are top notch will always be Mitchell’s priority.
“I had a bit of a stereotype at Leyton Orient last year of ‘head it, kick it’,” said the 20-year-old.
RETWEET If you love Alex Mitchell #lofc superb defender pic.twitter.com/VjqzojJbyv
— OrientPhot0's (@Orientpics) October 24, 2021
“I’d like to think I can play a bit more and carry the ball into the midfield.
“But the fans were right – I do like to defend, be an out-and-out defender and give the ball to someone better than myself.”
The Millwall contingent
With Danny McNamara, Tanto Olaofe, Hayden Muller and James Brown all having made the switch (in Brown’s case, permanently) from the New Den to McDiarmid Park, Mitchell didn’t find it hard to get a grip on the league and club he’ll be spending the next year at.
“It was a no-brainer to come here and play in the top flight of Scottish football,” he said.
“The gaffer was very persuasive when he spoke to me and I’m really looking forward to my time at the club.
“It was tough after travelling for eight hours the night before but training (On Wednesday) was good.
🆕 🎙| 𝘼𝙡𝙚𝙭 𝙈𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬
SaintsTV sat down with our latest signing to discuss his loan move to McDiarmid Park!
Full interview below👇
— St. Johnstone FC (@StJohnstone) July 28, 2022
“I’m not surprised that the standard was really good after speaking to the gaffer and knowing about St Johnstone from speaking to other Millwall boys who have been here.
“I was pleasantly not surprised!”
Becoming a regular with Saints is the primary goal.
“There’s no easy gateway into the team,” said Mitchell.
“You’ve got to really earn you’re place and I’m prepared to do that.
“I’ll graft, be in early and be as professional as I can to get as much game-time as possible.
“That’s the aim.”
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