Mansfield Town v Crawley Town | Defender Will Wright says Reds don't fear going anywhere - video Dailymotion

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Crawley Town face a trip to League Tow title chasers Mansfield Town on Saturday. We caught up with Will Wright ahead of that clash.

Transcript

00:00 Will, after the exciting game we had at Newport on Easter Monday, we've got another tough

00:05 away trip coming into the Champions League this weekend. Can I get your thoughts ahead of that game?

00:09 Yes, one that we're really looking forward to. Our way form has been amazing really,

00:17 the back end of this season. I know it's something that the club maybe hasn't been used to over

00:22 recent years, so it's something that we looked at at the start of the season and are trying

00:26 to improve and at the moment it's been top class. It's a game that we're going to go

00:33 and attack and try and get some points out of it and challenge ourselves against the

00:38 sides right at the top of the table.

00:40 I'm glad you mentioned that about the away form, because as you say the club hasn't been

00:44 used to this much success on the road. What do you think that's down to? Is it belief

00:48 in the group? Is it pure talent, pure quality? What do you think it's down to?

00:53 Yes, there's probably a bit of belief to it once you start getting some results. It tends

00:59 to spiral, it can go both ways. I'm guessing over the last few years that's where the club's

01:05 been at. Obviously the way we're playing this year, we're a match for anyone. I think we've

01:12 gone to a lot of places and like we did at the weekend, we scored early and you can get

01:18 the opposition on the back foot and get their crowd against them and maybe that helps us

01:22 in our favour. I don't know what it is, I can't really put my finger on it, but long

01:27 may it continue.

01:28 Yes, and we're going to need all the belief we can get, as you said already, Madsford

01:32 fighting for the league title this year. It must give the players a big boost of confidence

01:37 knowing how good we've been on the road this season and knowing that Madsford are probably

01:40 sitting there as a team that should be feared.

01:43 Yes, if you look at the form over the last 15 games, I think only Doncaster are ahead

01:51 of us in the form table and that probably puts Friday's result into perspective as well.

01:56 They're a good side and although they might have been sitting 15th or 16th in the table

02:00 at the time, they are technically the best team in the league at the moment over the

02:05 last 15 games. Like I said before, we're a match for anyone and anyone should be concerned

02:12 when we come to town.

02:14 Speaking of that Doncaster game, it did distract the excellent run that we had, but it seemed

02:19 that that was all very quickly forgotten in the space of only a few days with the tightness

02:22 to turn around. What was the message that the gaffer gave to the players after Friday

02:26 and the message that you all gave yourselves to take that much confidence, because it really

02:29 showed out there on Monday?

02:31 Yes, I think we quickly parked it, really. Like you said, we had a great run and we tried

02:39 to use it as a bit of a blip, really. We needed a quick reaction on Monday and they don't

02:45 come any quicker than the goal we scored there. That obviously helped us settle straight away

02:50 and I think we actually got the second against the run of the play, which we haven't done

02:54 many times this season, really. It seems to be that when we're controlling games, sometimes

02:58 we concede against the run of play. We said at half-time it was quite nice to score like

03:04 that and then I think once the second went in, we really controlled the game. Especially

03:10 once the third went in, obviously we knew then it was just about keeping the ball and

03:13 seeing the game out and we did that and obviously got the fourth right at the end with a nice

03:17 little move. So, yes, it all tied in well.

03:20 A dream game for you as a defender, clean sheet and two assists as well. We've seen

03:25 a lot over the course of the season that you obviously played a big part in set-pieces,

03:29 especially dead balls but also throws as well, so it must be really pleasing to get a couple

03:33 more for yourself because it's not often is it that defenders will rack up as many assists

03:38 as yourself?

03:39 Yes, I mean obviously it helps that I am on set-pieces but I think over the course, I

03:44 don't know how many have come direct from set-pieces. There's been a couple from open

03:47 play as well. So, obviously if you take away the set-pieces, I think I still won't be far

03:52 off five, which is sort of a target for myself, trying to get to double figures really in

03:56 goals and assists. So, I just need to score another goal again this season to get that

04:01 to five and I'm happy with my numbers either side. But obviously we work really hard on

04:06 set-pieces. I know fans aren't happy sometimes when we go short but like you saw on Monday,

04:11 it worked perfectly where we realised that obviously sending three out there and sending

04:18 Darcey inside with his run, it took two away and I'd be free and it sort of changed the

04:21 angle and obviously Dion came on and met the cross with perfect timing. And then the second

04:28 assist for Loz's goal, I did think the goalie was probably going to come and get it but

04:32 obviously he stayed and it ended up being bang on perfect and somehow he's dug out a

04:36 finish from I don't know where it's hit him. He's saying it's hit him on the foot but I'm

04:40 sure it's come off somewhere nearer the knee but a hell of a finish. I don't know how he's

04:43 got it in from there. So, yes, I can't really take all the credit for that. Two good finishers.

04:50 You obviously scored our first goal of the season. We've come a long way since then.

04:54 We're sort of reaching the very end of the season now. How impressed have you been with

04:58 the squad as a whole and what we've achieved and what is still possible to achieve as well?

05:03 Yes, I mean, I don't think anyone really saw it coming. I remember having chats with the

05:08 gaffer in the summer, maybe even in an hour about signing here to be honest with you,

05:15 but the gaffer showed how he wanted to play. He showed some pre-season clips and it sort

05:20 of fell in line with how I wanted to play football and get back enjoying playing that

05:24 style of football. Obviously, after a few games, once it came to fruition, how we were

05:29 going to play, we were putting teams to the sword. The buying from the boys and probably

05:34 the fans as well realised that we could do something special. Obviously, we had a little

05:37 bit of a blip in October. I don't think we even won a game but we quickly got back on

05:43 the horse and we believed in it again. Now, I feel like we belong. Now it's just about

05:48 finishing off all that hard work and getting ourselves in a play-off spot because no one

05:53 wants to come this far to get this far and miss out. We'll be giving it everything now

05:59 to get in the play-offs and extend our season.

06:02 Well, carrying on that conversation, obviously there is the chance of a trip to Wembley at

06:07 the end of all this. Have you ever played at Wembley and what's it like having that

06:11 as a carrot at the end of the season?

06:13 Yes, I've never played there so it's a big carrot for myself. It's something that I'll

06:18 try and not think of until the time arises. Obviously, it's every kid's dream to go and

06:24 play at Wembley. I get quite a good backing from friends and family so I'll probably end

06:30 up taking coach loads to sit in the stands to come and watch. Obviously, that would be

06:35 really nice as well. I've never really had a big play-off run either which is something

06:39 that I want to put on my CV because that's what we play. We play for success. It's something

06:46 that I've got my eye on but obviously we'll have to see. I don't want to tempt fate yet

06:51 so we'll see how it goes.

06:53 I asked Scott before the Doncaster game about the team now in the play-offs. Is there an

06:57 extra pressure? Obviously, you lost against Doncaster but you bounced straight back against

07:02 Newport. Being in the play-offs, does that add extra pressure as a player, do you think?

07:07 No, I don't think so. I saw a few tweets on Friday after the game saying that maybe the

07:13 boys felt the pressure of a big crowd and being in the play-offs but I really don't

07:18 think that's the case. We've got six games left now so it doesn't matter if you're in

07:24 the play-offs now. You need to be in there come 27th April. I take being out of the play-offs

07:28 the whole season to sneak in there on the last day. I don't think there's any pressure.

07:34 There's still so many points to play for.

07:36 At the beginning of the season, if you were told that you had to go to Mansfield and Wrexham

07:40 within four days of each other, a lot of fans and maybe you would be thinking, 'God, that's

07:45 a tough old end'. But the way you're playing at the moment and you're away from them shows

07:49 how far this team has come. You're going to those games but people are thinking you can

07:53 probably get something from both.

07:54 100 per cent. I think they'll both be very wary of us coming to town and, to be honest,

08:01 I think they should be. Like you said, our form has been incredible really. The last

08:06 two away games we've started and scored within two minutes. If we can carry on that trend

08:11 then we'll try and make it not as easy but obviously that helps and puts you one step

08:17 forward straight away. We'll try and replicate that again.

08:20 A word about the gaffer Scott Lindsay. The nominations for Manager of the Year came out

08:25 today from the FL. He wasn't nominated. It's a travesty, isn't it?

08:28 Yes. I saw it last night or maybe it got leaked on Twitter. I don't know how he's not got

08:37 down to the final three. The other three guys have done really well but I see people saying

08:46 with the budgets and maybe the size of the club, the clubs involved, that maybe the managers

08:53 weren't expected to be in there. Whereas here, we were everyone's whipping boys, weren't

08:58 we? We were odds on to go down and we're defying odds really with where we're at at the moment

09:04 and you can only put that down to one man really and his beliefs. Like I said, we've

09:10 all bought into it. It's one man's job and he should definitely be in a position to win

09:17 an award of that ilk.

09:19 Brilliant, thanks a lot.

09:20 No problem.

Mansfield Town v Crawley Town | Defender Will Wright says Reds don't fear going anywhere

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