Crawley Town lost 2-1 to Wrexham after a controversial injury time winner at the Broadfield Stadium. Here is Rob Elliot's reaction
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Rob, thank you for joining us. I don't really know how to start this interview to be honest.
00:04The better team on the day lost that game, I think that was clear to see.
00:08Your overall assessment first?
00:13Let ourselves down in the first two minutes, didn't manage the game in terms of the goal.
00:16Poor goal to concede. Maybe there was a little bit of nerves or something, I don't know.
00:20But after that I thought we was excellent, I thought we completely dominated and we were the better team.
00:23In terms of our passing, our movement, our attack and threat, we've got to do better in terms of opportunities we get.
00:28Crosses in the box, the opportunities to hit the target, score goals, so that's on us.
00:32But ultimately Brad scores a fantastic goal after being absolutely excellent again.
00:36And the momentum is only going one way.
00:38And for it to be missed, Jeremy Kelly gets literally thrown to the floor.
00:42We're not even talking about a decision where it's 50-50.
00:46We're talking about someone grabbing the back of his shirt because he's ahead of him,
00:49thrown him to the floor and heading the ball in from five yards.
00:51It's just completely unacceptable that that happens in the moment of the game.
00:55That takes it out of the lads because they've been absolutely tremendous.
00:58Two long trips away, brilliant performance against Mansfield and then a fantastic performance here.
01:03The crowd are going and we had to be patient at times because Wrexham,
01:08with all that Wrexham have, the ability to bring them two strikers in the space of four days
01:14and we were able to then pin them back and completely dominate the game the other way.
01:21To have that happen to us at the end is just such a sickness.
01:24I just feel for the lads and the fans and the club because we deserved that moment at the end of the game
01:29to go to the game and get a point.
01:31We deserved it in the process of the season and we deserved it today as a club
01:34because I felt that the club, the lads and the squad have done nothing but work.
01:42It's tough when you're down the bottom because when things go against you and moments go against you
01:48and for them to keep reacting today, they could have easily crumbled today
01:51but they got through the first 15-20 minutes and then they dominated
01:54and to have that at the end is just unacceptable.
01:56It can't be missed. I'm really sorry.
01:58I spoke to the referee there and I just said that it can't be missed between a team of four of you
02:01in a moment like that.
02:03In the middle of the goal someone gets thrown to the floor
02:05and I'm sure it'll get bypassed, you're just crawling in front and no-one will care
02:08but it does matter. It matters to this club, it matters to the fans, it matters to the employees,
02:12it matters to the staff and the players.
02:16Other than that, I'm angry and I'm proud as well because I think that's a proper performance.
02:20The lads have given us absolutely everything again.
02:23I thought we were brilliant in terms of our play and our movement.
02:26The criticism is that we need to affect the goal more
02:29but we created enough chances to do that so that's something we need to get better at.
02:33Maybe we need a little bit of help with that as well
02:35but obviously we'll have to see where that buys.
02:39I'm really, really disappointed with the way the game's ended.
02:43I'm really, really proud of these bunch of players and human beings
02:46because they've had a bit of criticism, which is fair.
02:49I don't think I don't criticise myself because I'm still learning
02:52but that reaction, that bravery to play in some of the football today was exceptional.
02:56We just have to pick ourselves up, get ready for this week and go again next week.
03:03It will hurt now, of course it will,
03:05but there is a lot to take out of, as you say, such a gutsy performance.
03:09I won't even bore everyone with the breakdown of what their teams were versus ours.
03:13I'll just say that they've strengthened the starting line-up.
03:17It's almost worth the value of the club, as you say.
03:20We won't bore everyone with that but such a brave and gutsy performance
03:25and that's why it hurts so much now in this moment
03:28but when you combine it with the performance and the three points on Tuesday night
03:31and you take it into these next performances,
03:33this team has come on leaps and bounds in the last couple of games, haven't they?
03:37Yes, they've been exceptional.
03:39The overall picture is that we had one little wobble away over Christmas
03:43and we've recollected ourselves.
03:45We did well against Burton, different against him as of today.
03:50That was our own doing.
03:52I think we came up against a team that physically we just weren't able to cope with
04:01but then I asked for a reaction on that.
04:03I think I've got that at Mansfield against a very physical team.
04:05I've got that today against Wexham against a very physical team.
04:08I'm so proud of them as young players and everything they're doing.
04:13We just have to make sure that every game we approach, we approach with the right mentality.
04:18To go and win it, to play good football, to stick to our strengths.
04:22Time and time again, and I don't know if I'll get criticism for this,
04:27but we have to review the game in different ways as coaching staff.
04:30When you look at the percentage of possession, the areas of possession, the xG for, the xG against,
04:36we're always nine times out of ten other than a couple of games we let ourselves down.
04:39We're always creative, we're always working, we're always getting to them areas.
04:42It's showing that lads are doing the right thing.
04:44This league is tough and we're finding that every now and then when it's a refereeing decision
04:49or our own mistakes or my mistakes as well,
04:55that we just fall a little bit short every now and then.
04:57We just need to make sure that we keep doing the right things.
04:59I genuinely believe we are doing the right things, we're on the right pathway.
05:02We've got to take a foothold with it and really buy into that this is what we're about, this is what we do.
05:08We're going to keep getting better because I genuinely have full faith and belief that we'll be absolutely fine.
05:13I'm looking forward to the challenge with the lads, with the coaching staff.
05:16We've been tremendous, the staff around the place and the players,
05:19because the lads that are here now have given everything and that's all I can ask for.
05:22I think today they showed that they give everything, they've got quality.
05:25They can get people out of their seats but we just need to get a little bit better each time we're doing that.
05:29Yeah, Wrexham's attack obviously gets a lot of the likes of the players they've brought in the last couple of days even,
05:37but take nothing away from their defence as well.
05:40Ultimately, we've pinned in one of the best defences in the league for 90 minutes
05:45and no disrespect to anybody else in the league but if we play like that every other game,
05:49something we'll give because we're not going to come up against those sort of defences every week.
05:53So, as we say, lots of positives to take but also I suppose some credit has to go to Wrexham
05:57in the sense of how they defended because we threw pretty much everything and the kitchen sink at them today, didn't we?
06:02Yeah, 100 per cent. You could argue that the draw was a fair result in the fact that
06:05they're attacking the display against a defensive display.
06:08To limit them, they don't concede many goals.
06:11Parkey's a brilliant manager, experienced, he was my manager when he gave me an opportunity when I was a kid
06:16and I know how good he is and how organised and structured his teams are.
06:20So, yeah, fair play to Wrexham in terms of how they defended.
06:24Like you said, they are where they are on the table, their budget as a club, everything for a reason.
06:30It is a brilliant story on one side but I think for us, you've got to look at that and be like,
06:38right, if we can perform like that against a club like that, that has unlimited resources,
06:43that can go and buy a Premier League striker and one of the best, I think Sam Smith is one of the best strikers in this league,
06:49you can do that at the drop of a hat, stick both of them up front for the first game.
06:53Fair play to you, that's a different journey but we can't do that.
06:58We've got to find value in working hard every day, the team spirit, the people that we have and the way we play
07:04and that's what we're doing and I just thought the whole club today can be really proud, frustrated but really proud
07:09and that's what we need to keep doing going forward, we need to keep pushing forward, keep togetherness and keep fighting
07:15because I said to the players, you can perform like that out of possession, you make everyone proud
07:19and in possession, you go and excite teams and you excite fans and you see them dominate into massive clubs
07:24so that's the two things I want to see.
07:26Yeah, is this one of the games where you'd rather just get straight back out there on a Tuesday and play?
07:30Obviously we've got until Bolton now, is it a case of need the rest, looking at this game and breaking it down
07:37to see what we can take into the Bolton fixture?
07:39No, the lads need a rest, they really do. There's been a few changes as well within the squad,
07:43the outgoings and whatnot, a couple of lads coming in so it gives them a chance to settle,
07:48Cammy and Rory Coxey have been outstanding.
07:51So yeah, I think we need a reset because obviously it's four or five Saturday Tuesdays in a row
07:58so we haven't got the biggest squad in the world, I know the club are working hard behind the scenes to try and get players in
08:05and obviously I think for me personally I know what we need, I think we can see what we need
08:11so hopefully we can get that to give us different dynamics all the time so that as a squad we have the best opportunity to win games
08:18and yeah, let's have a reset and then get ready to attack it again and go again
08:24because yeah, we are very, very good at home, I think we are very, very good at home since I've been here
08:29it's just been unfortunate we've had a period with many away games
08:31so hopefully coming up with the home games turning out, the fans turning out, we can really start to crank it up and get some momentum going.