Brentford Football Club Captain Kevin O’Connor said he was “delighted” to sign a new contract this week.
The long-serving skipper put pen to paper on a new one-year deal to keep him at Griffin Park until the summer of 2014.
Kevin will start his 15th season as a professional at Brentford next August, having come through the youth ranks and made his debut in February 2000.
He has been out with an ankle injury sustained in November, his second long-term injury in two years – he picked up a foot injury in November 2011 that ruled him out for the rest of the 2011/12 season.
Kevin said Manager Uwe Rösler had promised him he would give him an extra year and praised the boss for staying true to his word.
“I’m delighted,” said the skipper.
“I have had a tough couple of years but the Club has stood by me and offered me another year.
“I grabbed it with both hands.
“I am really happy.
“All the way along the Manager said he was going to offer me another year, all credit to him and the coaching staff.
“He was true to his word.
“I need to work hard, get as fit as I can, try to get involved this season and then be ready for next season.”
Kevin became only the fourth man to play 400 Football League games for The Bees when he featured against Bury on the first day of the 2012/13 power League One season.
Kevin has played 484 games for the Club in all competitions, scoring 43 goals, and is fourth on the all-time appearance list.
He has made 408 Football League appearances for The Bees, scoring 32 goals, and needs to play 12 more league games to go ahead of Jamie Bates and in to third on the list of league appearances for Brentford.
“It would be amazing to get to 500 games,” he said.
“I know it is about 15 away.
“It would be a great honour to represent this club for 500 games.”
Kevin returned to full training this week and said he could play for Brentford’s Development Squad in the next few weeks.
He has been undergoing his rehabilitation with striker Farid El Alagui, who sustained a knee injury in October.
Kevin said working with someone else speeded up his recovery.
“It was easier this time, I had company,” he said.
“It was a lot of fun working with Farid, it was hard work and we pushed each other.
“If you do anything with someone you want to beat them.
“Doing the work at the same time made it competitive.
“We helped each other all the way.
“I am back in full training now.
“There have been slow steps over the past few weeks but I am back outside now, full contact.
“It’s about getting fit and getting used to the ball again.”
Kevin said Brentford was a club that was making real progress and he wanted to stay at Griffin Park for as long as possible.
He said the new Category Two Football Academy and upgrade to the facilities at the Club’s Training Ground were signs of what was happening.
“This is a great club and it is going places,” he said.
“I want to be part of what is happening here and stay here as long as I can.
“The last few years here have been brilliant.
“If you come down to the Training Ground you can see how everything has changed.
“There is a new gym, new changing facilities; you know this is a club on the up.
“It is all being done the right way, the Academy is coming along.
“It is a place you want to be a part of.”
Kevin has seen many of Brentford’s games since he picked up his injury and described the football played by Uwe Rösler’s side as terrific.
He said Brentford will go to Carlisle United this afternoon looking for three points and the players had maintained a positive attitude since the defeat to Stevenage on Tuesday.
Kevin had played in three Brentford teams that reached the Play-Offs for promotion to the second tier without making it through.
He said he hoped to be part of a team that got up this time.
“Last season was good, this season is even better,” he said.
“Some of the football has been terrific, attacking, passing football, lots of goals.
“It has been really good to watch.
“It has been positive all season.
“When you get a defeat, it is all about how you react.
“We have trained well the last few days.
“They are all set and we are going there to get three points.
“It would be lovely to finally get promotion.
“I have been in three Play-Off campaigns, come really close.
“Fingers crossed it can happen this year.”
A full video interview with Kevin O’Connor is available here for Bees Player subscribers.