NEWLY-crowned League One player of the month Rory McArdle has cheekily offered to assist City in training – with their shooting practice.

The defender picked up the accolade today for his outstanding part in a defensive unit that conceded only once in four games in December.

McArdle also contributed a wonder goal at the other end against Scunthorpe – a stunner that he has “milked” around his team-mates. Not that any of them have taken him up on his tongue-in-cheek advice on the practice pitch.

It was the first time he can remember scoring with his left foot but a couple of his pals claimed to have seen it coming.

McArdle said: “My mates were sat in a pub after being out golfing and were watching the scores come in.

“They saw I’d got a goal and one of them joked: ‘left foot volley from the edge of the box!’

“They were both laughing about it and then he got the App up on his phone and it said ‘left foot from the edge of the box’ ... It wasn’t a volley but that was close enough.

“It just happened to come off. If I tried it again, it would probably go anywhere.

“When the lads were doing a shooting session afterwards, I asked Parky (Phil Parkinson) if he wanted me to take it for him! I’m not sure if he enjoyed that or not.

“If they aren’t doing it right, I can always give them a copy of the DVD if it helps!

“But it’s important that everyone keeps chipping in with goals, even if it’s a tap-in. Knotty (Billy Knott) scored two at Millwall and credit to him for getting in the box.

“There’s a lot of quality in this team. I see it every day at training – some of the goals that fly in from all angles are unbelievable.

“It’s not fair to leave it all on the strikers to score; it’s down to all of us.”

McArdle’s award is a popular one, he is a hugely respected figure within the squad. And it clearly means a lot to him to be picked out.

“I’m really chuffed. To be nominated was enough because I don’t think defenders get awards like this.

“Look at all the performances on the whole and there could have been quite a few people sat here with it.

“It’s not just me, obviously. Some of the saves Jordan (Pickford) made against Scunthorpe were top class – I know it’s an old cliché but this is really for the whole group.

“We’ve stopped letting in scrappy goals and it’s all clicked. That’s put us on our run.”

McArdle played 166 times for tomorrow’s opponents Rochdale and knows how well boss Keith Hill, now in his second spell in charge, makes them tick. Hill signed him for Dale from Sheffield Wednesday in 2007 and the defender helped them end a 41-year wait for promotion three seasons later.

“We lost in the play-off final, then the semi-final and finally did it,” he recalled. “The semi-final was the hardest to take after going so close the season before.

“But credit to Keith and Dave Flitcroft, his assistant at the time, who kept us motivated. They bounced off each other really well and got us back up there.

“A lot of that team have gone on to have good careers and he’s trying to do the same thing again now with the younger players in there.”