Some Questions With… Robbie Crawford

Fresh off of captaining the Black and Yellow to a comprehensive 3-0 win over Tampa Bay to cap off what was an impressive beginning to the year, midfielder Robbie Crawford sat down with us to discuss the start of the season, the new manager’s expectations, what lies ahead for the Battery and a little bit more in 2023’s first edition of Some Questions With…

BYP: It was a tough start to the season, but you’ve come out of it pretty good… What’s changed mentality-wise to start the season?

RC: Yeah, on paper, definitely a tough start with the teams we’ve faced… To come out of it unbeaten is obviously a good start. We’re feeling pretty confident. We know it’s only three games, so we’re not getting ahead of ourselves [or] too excited about it, it’s just a good base. A good solid base to start with. Obviously, beating Tampa gave us a lot of confidence. Getting that first win [and a] clean sheet, just generally a solid performance. We’re in a good place, just not getting too excited or carried away, just focusing on the principles that the coach wants us to focus on day in and day out. Hopefully game by game we’ll just keep getting better.

BYP: Building on that, what would you say Coach expects from you?

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RC: I think, as a whole, that was the first thing he said Before any tactics, it was all about what we could do as individuals. He wants us to be high energy, and high character, and communicate more than the other team… Outwork, outrun the other team… That’s just kind of the basics for every player. Personally, I think with me being in my fourth season, turning 30 this year he’s looking to me to be a bit of a leader in the locker room. I [was] captain the last game so, from a personal point of view, I think that‘s something he’s looking for from me and I’m happy to step into that role.

From the scenes on the pitch so far this year, this seems like a pretty tight-knit group. How have the new guys settled in?

I think, like you said, we gelled pretty quickly. and that shows with the results that we’ve had. Obviously, team chemistry is really important. We’ve got a few guys, myself, Leland, AJ [Paterson] who have been here for a few years and gotten to know each other well, and then a few of the guys that have come here having worked with at Memphis with Coach before… I think all of those things have come together to really help us gel quickly.

What’s impressed you so far with the new regime, having been here for a few years?

Yeah, I think… Obviously, playing professionally for a few years, you try to learn things from all the managers you work under… But I think under the new regime, I think the attention to detail has been great. Understanding the human aspect has been important as well. Not just treating us as players, but understanding what we need as a whole and what we need individually as well as what’s best for the team. Coach had a really good year at Memphis last year and so he’s been there and done that, so you trust what he says and that really spreads throughout the team.

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How high of an expectation do you have as a team?

I think it’s a tough question to answer for every team with a new manager, especially after a tough year last year… But early signs are good. Not unbelievable, but a good start to build off of. It’s a cliche, but genuinely, we focus hard on every session, we try to make ourselves better every day, and take care of business at the weekend, and hopefully, if we keep doing what we’re doing we’ll end up in a good place. But in terms of expectation, I don’t think we’ve set ourselves [anything] just yet.

As always, thanks to Robbie for his time. The Battery are off this weekend, but next face Savannah Clovers FC in the US Open Cup on Tuesday, April 4th at 8PM at Patriots Point. They return to league action on the following Saturday, April 8th as they welcome Hartford Athletic to Patriot’s Point with Kick Off at 7:30.

TOP IMAGE: ROBBIE CRAWFORD PROTECTS THE BALL IN A MATCH AT PATRIOT’S POINT IN 2022. ROSS ALMERS PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTO.

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