‘They’re the best team we’ve played this season.’ John Yems and Sam Ashford reflect on the Harrogate Town draw.
Crawley Town drew 2-2 at home to high-flying Harrogate Town on Tuesday night, a resilient performance against a side the Reds’ manager was full of praise for: “No doubt about it, they’re the best side we’ve played this season,” said Yems, “we conceded two poor poor goals and I’ve just had a go at the boys because it seems to be a trait of ours: we’re giving teams goals. Yes, they’ve got to take them and all that, but you can’t defend like that, we’ve got to make teams earn their goals. Otherwise, we’ve got to go and work twice as hard to get back in the game. Fair play to them, they are the best side we’ve played, and, on another day, they would’ve opened us up like a tin of beans.”
The Reds were helped on their way to securing a point by goals from Joel Lynch and Ashford. Speaking after the game, Ashford talked us through his goal: “Tom [Nichols] had been putting in a few [crosses] for me so I thought I should be getting on the end of one,” he joked, “it was on the counter-attack, I sprinted the whole length of the pitch in case he could get a cross in and it was a worldie cross to be fair! I beat my man at the front post and it was nice to get a goal.”
“I’m always learning, always getting better, always wanting to learn. I’m talking to Tom [Nichols], Nadderz [Ashley Nadesan] and Kwes [Kwesi Appiah] on the bench and just trying out little bits and trying to get better,” remarked Ashford.
As usual, the gaffer was full of praise for the Reds' fans, who remained loud throughout the entire second half in support of their team: “They kept us in the game,” Yems lauded, “they could’ve turned on us because I would’ve done considering the two goals we conceded but they kept us in it.”
