Injuries have been tough but I'm looking to finish season strongly, says Harrold
Matt Harrold admits that a tough season because of injury has given him a new perspective on both the game and his outlook on life in general.
The striker, who joined Crawley in 2014, suffered an Achilles injury for the second time this season in late November which forced him to spend another three and a half months away from first team action.
But he says that while his time away from the pitch has been frustrating, it has given him a different perspective on how he approaches situations.
"It’s been very frustrating and I’ve had to work really hard to keep motivated," he said.
"There have been times when I’ve sulked, like immediately after finding out I’d done my Achilles but in the other leg and would have to be in the (protective) boot.
"The days after each injury were very tough – but I’ve just tried to throw myself into getting fit again.
"I also switched off from football mentally if I’m being honest – I kind of stopped watching it as much and just concentrated on fitness and trying to help the lads when I was at the games.
"It wasn’t easy but there’s a lot of harder things out there in life than what I’ve had to go through. I have tried to battle through it and hope that the time went quickly."
After Saturday's draw away to Grimsby Town, Head Coach Dermot Drummy revealed that Matt had been an influential figure in the dressing room during his spell on the sidelines.
," Matt added.manager say that I can be useful off the pitch"It’s nice to hear the
"A lot of football is played between the ears and so if I can help then brilliant – I don’t say loads but I just try and assist whenever I can and use my experience whenever I feel it’s useful.
"Sometimes an extra voice can be good to hear.
"From a selfish point of view it’s nice to be involved even when you can’t play because you feel a bit more part of it all, especially when we get a good result."
You can read Matt's interview full in Saturday's edition of our match programme Reds.
