Crawley Town 1, Wrexham 2: Rob Elliot reaction after controversial late winner

SussexWorld

Crawley Town lost 2-1 to Wrexham after a controversial injury time winner at the Broadfield Stadium. Here is Rob Elliot's reaction

Transcript

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.

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