Andrew Barrowman, a young striker on loan from Birmingham City, celebrated his full league debut for Crewe Alexandra on Saturday with a goal after just ten minutes. He helped the Alex to their best win of the season so far, 3-0 against Derby, to make it a happy return for manager Dario Gradi following heart surgery. After the game Andrew gave his first interview to givemefootball's Brian Beard.
Q:YOU MUST HAVE ENJOYED YOUR FIRST FULL GAME?
A:Just a bit. It was good to get a proper run out and this was my first full game so that counts as my true debut.
Q:TELL US ABOUT THE GOAL BECAUSE IT LOOKED AS IF YOU INTENTIONALLY DIVERTED DEAN ASHTON'S SHOT?
A:That's right. I knew there were people on the line so I was just trying to hit the space and thankfully I managed to pick the corner out. The first shot I should have scored with but it was a poor effort. Fortunately it fell to me again and I was able to put it away.
Q:ON THE BASIS OF THIS ONE GAME YOU SEEM TO HAVE STRUCK UP AN IMMEDIATE UNDERSTANDING WITH DEAN ASHTON?
A:The big man has got a good football brain and we seem to work well together, understanding what each of us is doing and long may it continue. It can only get better.
Q:YOU ARE ON A MONTH'S LOAN SO WHAT HAPPENS THEN?
A:I'm here for a month, initially, and then we will see where it goes from there. If I do well and Crewe are happy I would like to extend my stay here, if that would be okay with Birmingham. All I have got to do is score goals, easy isn't it?
Q:HOW DOES THE WAY CREWE PLAY COMPARE TO THAT OF BIRMINGHAM?
A:At Birmingham we are all tempo and closing people down and working hard but here the approach is more get the ball down and play. There are some very good players here at Crewe who could probably do a good job in the Premiership, like Dean Ashton.
Q:IT WAS IMPORTANT TO GET A WIN AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF A THIRD HOME GAME IN A ROW, WASN'T IT?
A:Definitely, we were disappointed against Bradford. At 2-0 up you don't expect to lose a game. But we got a good result against Derby, who have got some good players themselves, and hopefully we can get another result on Tuesday against Preston. If we can get another three points that would be a good return from two games in four days and make the league position much healthier.
Q:DARIO WAS BACK AT THE HELM, SO HOW MUCH OF AN INFLUENCE WAS HE?
A:As soon as Dario walks into the room you can feel the respect the players have for him. He just has that aura about him and I came here because of Dario and the reputation Crewe have. You just need to look at the number of players who have gone on to play at international level after starting here to realise what a good place this is to learn your trade as a footballer.
