Home is where the heart is for Michael

Michael Tidser feels right at home here at Morton and says the prospect of committing to an extension that will see him spend at least eight years of his playing career at Cappielow held huge appeal.

The 27-year-old midfielder arrived at the ground yesterday morning and burst in the main office door with son Josh in buoyant mood ahead of signing his new two-year deal.

Tidser spent three-and-a-half seasons with the club during his first stint and then a further two-and-a-half years upon his return from Rotherham United.

His latest deal will take him up to eight years in total and see him add to his 160 starts, 24 substitute appearances, and 21 goals, which was music to the ears of the settled Ton star.

Speaking exclusively to gmfc.net, he said: “I’m delighted and it was nice to get it over the line. I had a meeting with the manager a couple of times, discussing plans for the future, and everything seems bright.

“Collectively we’ve done well and you know the manager, he never stands still. Every year it’s a new challenge for him, and I wanted to be part of it. Hopefully I can go and do well and help keeping the club moving forward.

“Here definitely feels like home. I came here as a boy and now I’m a man, as they say. I’ve been here a long time and met a lot of nice people along the way.

“Just driving down the road there to sign, I just thought: ‘This will be me again for another two years.’ In a good way. This is my life and it would have been weirder not coming down. I’m happy here.

“Obviously at the end of the season my contract was up and people were asking: ‘What’s happening?’ I wanted to be part of it again and go and achieve something here.

“I know I was injured for the semi-final last season, but being on the bench and being involved in the play-offs … it’s big games.

“It’s easy sometimes for people to jump ship and move on, and maybe look back and think: ‘Should I have stayed?’ Going back to when I left for Rotherham, I felt I needed a fresh challenge then.

“I was at an age where you get caught up and think: ‘I wonder what’s out there.’ The best thing I did was move on, because it gave me a new perspective and made me appreciate where I was.

“Listen, if you’re happy and everything’s going well and you’re playing football and family life is good, that’s the most important thing for me. I hope I can go and continue that for the next couple of seasons.”

 

Image: Jonathan Mitchell