Crawley Town beat League One Bristol Rovers 2-1 in the EFL Trophy at the Broadfield Stadium. It's the first time the Reds have reached this stage of the competition. Here is goal scorer Harry Forster's reaction to the win and how stepping up from National League to League Two has been for him
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00:00 Harry, thank you for joining us. Congratulations on getting through to the next round of the
00:05 Bristol Street Motors trophy on a fantastic goal. Can I get your reflection on the game
00:08 first?
00:09 Yeah, I think first half we were a bit sloppy. Obviously disappointed to concede just before
00:16 half-time in the manner that we did. We all sat down at half-time and knew it wasn't good
00:21 enough, didn't even need the manager to give us the rocket that we had. But coming out
00:25 of the second half we played so much better. What we needed to do was move the ball quicker
00:31 and that is just what helped us win the game really.
00:33 You seemed to gain, the whole side seemed to gain, a lot of confidence in the second
00:36 half. Scott actually pointed you out as one of the promising bits from the first half,
00:41 sort of used you as an example of how the players should perhaps be playing, which must
00:44 be great for you to hear. But just in general, what do you think was it that changed? Was
00:48 it just that belief in the second half?
00:50 I think that's the main word, belief. I think we were a bit timid in our approach to the
00:55 first half. In the second half I think we all had the belief on the pitch that even
01:01 though they're a league above us we can play football as well as anyone. I think we showed
01:06 that in the second half.
01:07 A league above us and what we said to Scott as well is that nobody can argue that's probably
01:11 their strongest side. For some of the lads like yourself who haven't been able to play
01:15 a lot of minutes in the league this season so far, to come and show your worth against
01:19 a team like that must be a really special feeling.
01:21 Absolutely. We've all been working hard in training, keeping our fitness up. When the
01:27 opportunity to come in arises like it did tonight, I think we've all staked a claim
01:32 to getting that first 11.
01:34 Yes, I suppose obviously minutes is what you're all driving for isn't it, in the league action.
01:38 There's no shame in having to fight your way into the side. It's almost a credit to the
01:44 players that have started week in and week out in the league. I suppose performances
01:48 like tonight will give players like yourself confidence and really start to show Scott
01:53 what you're capable of.
01:54 Exactly that. I think everyone who played tonight should take so much confidence from
01:59 not only the result tonight, beating them, but in the manner that we did, especially
02:03 the second half as I said, that should give everyone a massive boost of confidence.
02:08 Just talking through your goal, it was a pretty special one for you tonight to win the game.
02:12 Obviously you picked the ball up way back. Was it always your plan from the moment you
02:16 picked the ball up or did it just unfold before you?
02:20 When I pick the ball up most times, that's what I try and do to be honest, try and beat
02:23 players. But it just kept opening up and I thought keep going, keep going, keep going.
02:29 Before I knew it I was in on goal with a goalie.
02:33 I suppose it's important to say you've got to beat all those players but you've also
02:38 got to finish it at the end of it. I suppose it can be tricky when you take it past several
02:42 players not to get too excited. You still have to do the hard work and actually finish
02:45 it. So I can imagine that was a bit of relief in that head, ball at the back of the net.
02:48 Exactly, exactly. I don't know if I gave the keeper the eyes or it was just a bit of a
02:53 scuffy finish but no, we'll take them all day long.
02:55 Obviously the draw on Friday, there's still certain teams left that have still got to
02:59 play but this season, say in Scots, it's the furthest this club has ever got in this competition
03:05 in this format. So it must be a special feeling isn't it to just keep progressing. It is
03:13 a good competition, there's good prize money, we're only now a few games off televised games
03:17 and stuff like that. So it must be really pleasing for the players.
03:20 No, 100%. I think everyone's taking it more than seriously. It's a competition that we
03:24 want to not only go far in, it's a competition that we want to win. I think putting down
03:28 markers like tonight can only give us the confidence to go all the way.
03:32 Harry, do you feel tonight is the first time the Crawley fans have seen what you're capable
03:38 of? Because obviously you haven't had loads of minutes but do you feel that tonight is
03:41 a night, a break-through moment for you and Crawley?
03:43 I think exactly that. Obviously the bulk of my minutes have come in this competition so
03:48 far. I think tonight was definitely my best performance of the season so far and it's
03:54 definitely given me the confidence now to kick on and show the Crawley fans more of
03:59 what I'm about and what I can do.
04:00 Obviously you're hoping for more league minutes now and a nice flight tonight is only going
04:05 to help your cause on that isn't it?
04:07 No, exactly. That's obviously our bread and butter now going back to the league. Just
04:13 to play as many minutes in that and state my claim for a start in place, that's all
04:18 I want to do.
04:19 How is Scott developing you as a player? I remember when you came in he said in the interviews
04:26 that he's got to be a player that gets the fans off their seats. How is he helping you
04:30 develop coming from when you came from Bromley to where you are now?
04:35 Just loads of stuff on the training pitch, loads of position specific stuff. We do a
04:41 lot of defenders go off with the defensive coach, midfielders go off, wingers go off
04:45 and we do our own match specific bits in the week to get us prepped for every situation
04:51 that could come on a Saturday or a Tuesday night.
04:54 What have you found the main difference coming from National League to League 2 as a player?
04:58 You know what, in terms of the actual match play I don't think there's a huge difference.
05:06 A bit more ball speed and obviously every level you go up there's going to be that
05:10 little step in terms of how good the teams are. But I feel like I'm making the step well
05:19 and I'm confident I can kick on.
05:21 And in this competition, I don't know if you know what teams are left, is there anyone
05:25 you fancy in the next round?
05:27 Honestly, I should have done my research but I have no idea to be honest with you.
05:30 But it doesn't matter, we're not going to care who we come up against. We're confident
05:34 we can beat anyone in this competition for sure.
05:36 Brilliant, thanks Harry.
05:37 Nice one.
05:37 Harry, this is not the first time that Crawley have beaten a Ligue 1 side in this competition.
05:46 Beaten Charlton, Villa under 21s and now he's beaten another Ligue 1 side in the form of
05:51 Bristol Rovers. So surely coming up for that draw there's no fear of coming up against
05:55 anyone then?
05:56 Exactly, just what I've said before, we're not even going to, obviously we will look
05:59 at who we get, but it's not going to change the way we play, it's not going to change
06:02 our confidence levels and it's not going to change our belief that we can win that game.
06:06 As well now, with a performance like that, surely you're knocking on the door for a league
06:11 game on Saturday, or a league start sorry, on Saturday. So how are you finding that progression
06:16 and are you happy to, or really wanting to be knocking on the door for Saturday?
06:20 100%. I think every no player is happy with sitting on the bench or just coming on here,
06:25 coming on there. I think every player who's out of the team should be knocking on the
06:28 manager's door and of course I want to be playing.
06:32 As well, it's your second goal in this competition as well, so that's something that I guess
06:38 fills you with a bit of confidence, you're filling up your game of goals, you're exciting
06:42 fans, getting them off their seat with your amazing runs, going in on goal, particularly
06:47 your goal today, running through quite a few players and then obviously finishing a chance.
06:54 How much confidence does that fill you with, that you're adding goals to your game as well
06:57 as your amazing dribbling excitement?
06:59 Massively, massively and that is what I was saying about previously, midfielders working
07:04 with midfielders out on the training pitch, strikers working with strikers, but I've been
07:07 doing a lot of extra shooting as well and just to take my game to the next level and
07:11 add goals, add assists to my game and long may it continue.
07:14 Cheers Harry, congratulations.