'We've got a fantastic player on our hands': Crawley defender on Manchester United loanee Matty Willock

Crawley Town defender Lewis Young believes Matty Willock adds to an attacking line up full of 'real quality' at the club.
Matty WillockMatty Willock
Matty Willock

A deflected 84th minute strike from Young rescued Reds a home point against struggling Macclesfield Town yesterday afternoon, after some largely ineffective performances from the forwards. Read our match report here

However, full-back Young jumped to their defence, saying the strikers at the club 'do the most work in the week'.

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He said: "Over the season our strikers have been brilliant for us. At the start of the season, we were free scoring. Sometimes the ball isn't going to fall for them in the box but I can put my hand on my heart and say the strikers do the most work in the week. I know how hard they work to be successful.

Matty WillockMatty Willock
Matty Willock

"You've just got to look at the goals they have created or been involved in this season. I've loved playing with them.

"Reece (Grego-Cox) came on today and really made a difference. He has been unfortunate with the games he has played this year. Ollie (Palmer) has been scoring so you can't take him out of there and Dom(inic Poleon) has been brilliant.

"We've got some really good players and it has been tough for the lads waiting for their chance but that just shows how good we are going forward. When you look around the dressing room at the quality we've got and the passion and will to win."

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Manchester United forward Matty Willock made his first Crawley start this weekend, after completing his loan move last month, and Young feels he will only improve Reds' quality going forward.

Lewis YoungLewis Young
Lewis Young

He added: "Matty was at the Arsenal academy with my youngest brother (Kyle Young) so he's played with three of us now (played with Ashley Young at Old Trafford).

"I thought he was brilliant today. He was unfortunate that he started to tire before the end and that's why he was taken off. He really showed his quality.

"If he can keep doing that over the next 11 games, we've got a fantastic player on our hands."

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Young was also full of praise for Crawley's 'settled' defence which restricted the visitors to very few chances yesterday, despite the recent departure of regular starter Mark Connolly.

"I was really close with Conns and he's done really well after going up to Scotland," Young said.

"[But] as a back five, we seem quite settled and that's down to the work we've done on the training ground

"We defend together and we score together. We're all a team and we're all frustrated.

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"We've not been able to pick up the points we feel we've deserved. We'll take the point and we'll build on it to go to MK Dons away. We've got to keep going and we've got a massive two months now to really start driving up that league."