LEWIS FIORINI knows the one thing he would not do if he scores as Stockport make their way through the season – rub his arms in celebration.
If he did, the grief he would get from best mate Cole Palmer would be too much.
The pair may hail from opposite sides of Manchester but they are huge friends after coming through the ranks at City together.
Fiorini knows what you see from the Chelsea and England star in front of the cameras really is what you get – even in personal messages the tone does not change.
And he knows what would happen if he replicated Palmer’s now familiar celebration, one he did not do when they played together.
“I wouldn’t do it,” said Fiorini. “I can imagine the messages I’d get if I did. It’s not for me, that one.
“But that celebration is actually pretty new. He didn’t do that when he was younger, I don’t know where he’s pulled that one from!
“He’s made it his trademark now, though. Everyone’s looking to do it.
“Cole’s just a lad from Manchester – fame definitely hasn’t changed him. He’s the same kid everyone sees in interviews and things people see online.
“That’s him, that’s Cole being himself and that’s good. Some people change when they get to that level but it’s credit to him that he’s not done that.
“When people interview him, they get what he is whereas other people try and change or become media trained.
“Cole and I played at City together from being five or six-years-old right the way until I left last summer.
“So we were together for 15 or 16 years and played in midfield together. We’ve been close all that time.”
While Palmer spent his summer becoming a Club World Champion with Chelsea, Fiorini spent his aiming to make an impact at Stockport.
A move from City last summer saw injury frustration and eventually going out on loan to Scottish side Dundee United, which did not work out as he hoped.
Now as County get their League One promotion bid with today’s derby with Bolton, he is itching to show what he can really do as Dave Challinor’s men look to go one better than finishing third and Play-Off heartbreak.
The 23-year-old added: “I tried to approach this pre-season as if I’d moved to a new club, seeing myself as a new signing.
“I got injured early on, which put me a step back from the get-go. Coming to a new club and being off the pitch straight away was harder to settle in.
“And League One is as physically tough as you get. Some weeks the ball’s up in the air constantly. We want to get it on the floor but there are times where you have to stand up to more physical stuff.
“Today is a big one. The first game’s always interesting as you don’t know what you’re going to get but it’s a derby and we want to put a marker down.”
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