Jack Currie continued to show maturity beyond his years, long after the final whistle was blown on Boxing Day’s clash with Newport County.
Striker Kyle Hudlin was shown a straight red in the 66th minute and four minutes later the Exiles equalised following the awarding of a debatable penalty.
These talking points had threatened to overshadow a spectacular goal of the season contender from Ethan Chislett, who broke the deadlock with a superb free kick in the 58th minute.
“We knew what we were going into,” said battle-scarred Jack after we extended our unbeaten run in League Two to nine games. “It was always going to be a physical game, with both sides up for it. I thought we competed well, and we put our bodies on the line.
“From my angle it didn’t look like a penalty to them, but there was controversy throughout the game. It was about how we dealt with that.
“It was never a red for Kyle. The Newport lad and our player had a collision, and the referee wasn’t favouring us at that point in time, but we came together as ten men and managed to see the game out.”
The outstanding moment of the game came from attacking midfielder Ethan Chislett, whose eighth goal of the campaign in front of the home faithful in the South London Movers Stand ultimately earned him the man-of-the-match award.
“When he’s in those positions, you expect him to score now,” said Jack. “That’s just the expectation he’s put on himself. This was no exception because what a finish it was!
“We set out with a game plan and for the most part we stuck with it. We competed physically, but it was a bit unfortunate that midway through the second-half we got the red card. I thought we stuck together to extend the unbeaten run.”
Despite still feeling the effects of his all-action display, Jack's attentions immediately switched to Thursday night’s visit to third from bottom Colchester United, who won 1-0 at basement club Gillingham on Monday.
“It’s nothing more than I expected really, after you put your body on the line for the club,” said Jack. “You’re going to get knocks; you’re going to get cuts. The main thing is we managed to get something out of the game.
“We’ve got games coming thick and fast. What is important now is that we recover properly and make sure all the players are feeling fit and healthy for the next game.”
Photos: Ian Stephen (Pro Sports Images).
You can see the full interview with Jack Currie below, via the link to our official YouTube channel.