On-loan Scunthorpe midfielder Matt Crooks was delighted to make his first start for the club in Saturday’s clash with Sheffield United.
The man from Rangers played 77 minutes as the Iron fought valiantly to earn a much deserved point at Bramall Lane.Crooks is now keen to push on and make more appearances, after missing out on a fair chunk of football over the past year.
Speaking to The Iron PlayerHD, Crooks said: “It was good to get a start under my belt, It’s what I want and it’s what I’ve come here to do.
“I think it was my second start in around 11 months, so I got cramp. All in all though, I enjoyed starting again.
“I’ve played a few bounce games and some also at Rangers, but there’s nothing like playing in an actual game.
“Especially when the opposition are top and you’re second, and there was a lot riding on it, so all those factors combined wore me out in the end.”
The 23-year-old will be hoping to feature again when the Iron make the trip to face Bristol Rovers on Saturday.
Speaking from past experience, Crooks highlighted the strength of this weekend’s opponents, but stated he’s optimistic about Scunthorpe’s chances.
“I played against them last season when I was at Accrington, and they’re a well organised team,” explained Crooks.
“They all work hard for each other, and when you go away it’s always more difficult than when you play in front of your own crowd.
“It’ll be a good test, but I’m sure we’ll come through it again.”
Looking back at last weekend’s encounter with the Blades, Crooks hopes both the result and performance can spur the Iron onto greater things moving forward.
Crooks says to hold out after Harry Toffolo was given his marching orders early in the second period should breed a huge amount of confidence within the squad.
He declared: “It was a good point.
“In the first half, I wouldn’t say we were at our best, but it was strange because when we went down to ten men we probably performed better.
“The squad here has a good togetherness about it, and I’ve tried to glue myself into that.
“I think that showed when we went down to ten men, we stuck together as a team, tried to stay as a solid unit and pushed forward when we could.
“You’ve got to give credit to the boys, a point is a good result and it could be a crucial one at the end of the season.”
See much more from Matt Crooks on The Iron PlayerHD.
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