Crawley Town face Burton Albion at the Broadfield Stadium in League One on Saturday. We caught up with Antony Papadopoulos
who has just returned from a loan spell at Maidstone United
who has just returned from a loan spell at Maidstone United
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00:00Anthony, thank you for joining us. It's been a while since we've spoken to you. You've
00:05enjoyed a very successful loan spell away from the club. Firstly, how good is it to
00:08be back?
00:09Yeah, really good. Looking forward to it, to be fair. It was always a goal of mine to
00:13come back in January. So, yeah, really happy to be back and, yeah, just want to work hard.
00:19As far as loan spells go, it was probably one of the most successful ones you can get.
00:22I think it's always good when the team that you've joined are really asking you to stay
00:27and obviously some of the fans were gutted online when they'd seen that you'd been recalled.
00:30You obviously had a fairly decent start to the season with us, featuring in a lot of
00:34the cup matches. Do you think the loan came at the right time for you to really get some
00:39minutes in for that first part of the season?
00:41I think so, I think so. Yeah, obviously it was under the previous gaffer. He showed a
00:45lot of faith in me going out on loan and stuff and, to be fair, it was just to get minutes
00:48and help Maidstone. They had really good coaching staff there, really pushed me on. It was a
00:54really good loan spell. I couldn't ask for a better club to go to, to be honest. I really
00:59enjoyed it, played well and, yeah, it was actually really enjoyable.
01:02It's probably worked and benefited you in a number of ways because, as you've been performing
01:08so well there, as you said, the new gaffer to come in, he would have seen those performances
01:12obviously keeping an eye on the results and it's given him that thought process to get
01:16you back even earlier than you planned to come back in January. You were meant to start
01:20that first game you come back. You can't really write, can you? How unlucky is that?
01:23I know, I know, I know. To be honest, I didn't even know. I messaged my parents, I think
01:28it was, we found out maybe at half one. So, I messaged my parents straight away. I think
01:32they were going to make their way down, which was funny. It's just one of them ones I've
01:36just got to keep working hard and hopefully the opportunity will come. Whenever we're
01:39training and stuff, I've just got to show what I can do. Obviously, I was thankful for
01:43the opportunity but I'm sure another one will come, hopefully.
01:46Yeah, as you say, you've now got the rest of the season to make that impression on the
01:50new manager. Obviously, you've got a good game to do that. Obviously, you had a little
01:54period to new at Barnsley. Is the aim now just to work your way into the team and get
01:59as many minutes as possible?
02:00Yeah, it is. It was a really big moment for me making my Ligue 1 debut. I was really grateful
02:06for the gaffer, for the opportunity. Obviously, coming back from loan, that was always the
02:10goal, like I said. But yeah, to be honest, keep working hard and hopefully get another
02:15opportunity.
02:16Yeah, and how much are you enjoying your first season in the EFL? Obviously, you dip back
02:20into the National League set-up before. How much have you been enjoying being around the
02:24Football League set-up?
02:25Yeah, it's been really good, to be fair. It's been really good.
02:28Two things going on here, but we're in Norma and a band behind us.
02:30Yeah, yeah. What a way to put me off. Yeah, really enjoyable being back in the Football
02:36League. I remember saying in my interview with you when I first signed that, over the
02:40last few years, it was always my goal to get back into league football. So yeah, I'm taking
02:44it every day as it comes and I don't take this opportunity lightly and I'm really happy
02:48to be here. Yeah, I'll keep working hard in the gym, on the pitch and yeah, just whenever
02:54I get an opportunity, I'm sure I'll take it.
02:56Obviously, you went out on loan with the previous Gaffer and now you've got a new Gaffer. What
03:02are the main differences you've noticed since you've come back?
03:05To be fair, not much. I mean, they've obviously got their different ways of playing, but it's
03:10quite similar, to be fair. They've both shown good faith in me as well, which is good. But
03:16yeah, not too much. They're both really positive. They want to push the club up the table and
03:21I've really enjoyed working under both of them. Obviously, more under the new Gaffer
03:26as well. So yeah, it's been really enjoyable, really enjoyable.
03:29Yeah. And the differences between National League football and stepping up to League
03:34One, is it that bigger step?
03:38Yeah, it is, to be fair. I mean, I've always asked people, actually, that have played higher
03:43up, even last year when I was playing non-league. I've always asked them what their biggest
03:47differences are. To be honest, I think non-league nowadays has gotten so much... There's so
03:53many good players in non-league, I think. That's why you see so many people take the
03:56step up. So it's not too much of a big difference, to be honest. I think the quality does go
04:02up. People are a lot fitter in this league, but it doesn't take away the fact that non-league
04:06is really good. National League, National League South, there's some really good players
04:10in there. So it hasn't been too much of a big difference. But yeah, every level is good,
04:16to be fair.
04:16Yeah. And what would you say to any young footballer who's at a pro club, who's looking
04:21to get some minutes here? I suppose you're a prime example of how it can work for you
04:25going out and loan to a non-league club.
04:27Yeah, just keep working hard. And I think, to be fair, I had a question like this the
04:31other day and I answered it. For me, I think it's just attitude and just discipline. I
04:38think, as a young player, you can have so many things thrown your way, whether it's
04:41managers not liking you or you have your social life as well growing up. I think you just
04:46have to stay disciplined, keep working hard, doing your extra work and just staying with
04:52a good attitude and hopefully you get your opportunity. And when your opportunity does
04:55come, you've just got to take it with both hands.
04:56Yeah. And I think you're quite big on social media right now as well. How much do you enjoy
05:01that? How important is that to you?
05:02It's really good. It's really good. I've been doing it over the last few years. I started
05:07in lockdown. And yeah, I do get quite a lot of questions from young players actually asking
05:11me loads of questions and stuff like that. But I think some people forget I'm a young
05:15player myself. So yeah, I mean, I think I'm quite mature for my age. And to be fair, I've
05:20been in football for over four years now in the men's game. So a lot has happened in
05:25that time. I feel like I'm actually quite experienced already. Obviously, I've still
05:28got so many more years left, but I don't have all the answers. But I try my best. I
05:32try to help as many people as possible.
05:34Brilliant. Thank you.