Former Bristol Rovers striker Matt Harrold: 'I am not ready to be Crawley Town head coach yet'

Harrold wants to continue his career as a player after a frustrating season hit by injuries left him on the sidelines for most of the campaign.

The former Bristol Rovers star ended the campaign as caretaker boss, overseeing an exciting 2-2 draw in the final game of the season with Steve Evans’ promotion-chasing Mansfield Town.

It was a much improved display compared with many which had led up to previous head coach Dermot Drummy’s departure.

The creditable performance brought the crowd alive and created a superb atmosphere.

He said: “It was a good experience to learn from and has given me a taste to be a player/coach in the future.”

Harrold was understood to be one of the candidates for the club’s the permanent position, although he admits he was not yet ready to take on the job.

He said: “I met the owner (Ziya Eren) and had a good chat and said to be honest I wasn’t ready for a job like this.

“At 32, having missed so much of last season I really want to do well as a player.”